Great Rivers Greenway and partners have completed the final phase of the Chouteau Greenway International Design Competition, a one-year public/private partnership to imagine a greenway focused on connectivity, economic opportunity, equity and sustainability in the city of St. Louis. A report published today at www.ChouteauGreenway.org details additions and refinements to the original conceptual plan submitted by the Stoss Landscape Urbanism team in April. The next phase of planning includes multiple engagement opportunities such as recruiting additional neighborhood representation, gathering input on the engagement plan itself and a community event in February.
The report shares a new mission/vision statement: “Chouteau Greenway will transform St. Louis by connecting people and our city’s most treasured places, creating inspiring experiences and equitable opportunities for growth.” More than just a free, accessible trail where people can exercise, commute or explore, the project’s goals include offering an exceptional experience to residents and tourists alike. The greenway aims to create dynamic, active spaces and serve as a regional gathering place that encourages collaboration and boosts civic pride.
Since being selected by the competition jury in May, the Stoss team, comprised of 13 firms or individuals from St. Louis as well as other cities, has been working with Great Rivers Greenway, partners and stakeholders to incorporate the feedback gathered during the competition into their concept. The next step is to create an overall framework plan, before beginning design and engineering on specific segments.
“This project is full of exciting opportunities and interesting challenges that will be a catalyst for new ideas; our team is looking forward to working with St. Louisans to find innovative solutions,” said Chris Reed, FASLA and founding director at Stoss Landscape Urbanism. “In our first six months, we will focus on studying routes, designing the look and feel of the greenway, and proposing economic and equity plans for the project.”
When the framework is complete in Summer 2019, particular pieces of geography will be studied in projects called “labs” to test the framework and further design specific greenway segments. The map below shows the routes to be studied throughout the area that stretches from Forest Park to Gateway Arch National Park and Tower Grove to Fairground Parks through 19 city neighborhoods.
In addition to Great Rivers Greenway and the Stoss team, the project will be led by a Steering Committee and Working Groups made up of residents, technical experts, city representatives and community leaders. Beyond the Community Advisory Committee formed last fall, Great Rivers Greenway now seeks six additional residents to ensure that each neighborhood in the areas to be studied is represented. Residents of Carr Square, Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Greater Ville, Jeff VanderLou, St. Louis Place and Tiffany neighborhoods are invited to sign up. Additionally, an Artists of Color Council was formed in July through an open call, which resulted in eight artists being hired to advise the local art and engagement components of the project.
“Chouteau Greenway is all about bringing people together to think differently about St. Louis,” said Susan Trautman, CEO of Great Rivers Greenway. “This process will have many voices working together to ultimately connect our city, creating opportunities for economic growth in an equitable way.”
The Stoss team will be collaborating with local consultant Vector Communications for Great Rivers Greenway’s civic engagement on the project. Anyone who lives, works, plays, learns or visits the area of the future Chouteau Greenway is invited to engage with the project in multiple ways, including subscribing for email or text updates and attending a series of community events, the first of which is set for Tuesday, February 5, 2019. Future events and opportunities to review the plans will follow throughout spring and summer of 2019.
“We will continue to connect with residents, businesses, students, community groups, property owners and other stakeholders,” said Shaughnessy H. Daniels, community engagement manager for Great Rivers Greenway. “Please help us fill in our plan by sharing the groups, organizations or people we should know about – call us, stop by our office or find the form online.”
Details and sign-ups for all of those efforts, plus the end of the competition report, are available at www.ChouteauGreenway.org or by calling 314-436-7009.
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