Project Name: Vacant Lots to Parks, Connecting Hodiamont Tracks
Project Summary: The Saint Louis Association of Community Organizers (SLACO) and the Saint Louis Arts Chamber have partnered with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) to connect seven historically underserved neighborhoods with the Greenway on the Hodiamont Tracks in North Saint Louis that is planned by the Great Rivers Greenway.The project consists of three clusters of vacant lots adjacent to the greenway. These lots will be rebuilt as parks, connecting the greenway to the communities it passes through. Through the Community Engineering Corps Program, EWB volunteers are providing professional engineering services to design the parks to have significantly improved: - Stormwater Management - Pedestrian and bike infrastructure - Lighting and security - Recreation and education Project Background: Restrictive covenants, Jim Crow laws, redlining, highway construction, and the destruction of Mill Creek Valley, were examples of 20th century events leading to present day racial isolation of African Americans living north of Delmar Boulevard. The British Broadcast Corporation coined this condition, the “Delmar Divide,” to describe differing socioeconomic conditions of St. Louis populations living north and south of Delmar. Even today, St. Louis remains one of the most segregated and violent cities in the US. With 30% of the lots in North St. Louis vacant and the documented increase in crime associated with vacant lots, greenway planners have identified thirty-two vacant lots adjacent to the Hodiamont Tracks. Residents continue to discuss the need to rehabilitate these lots. This project addresses a need on an environmental scale with additional resources which can become a model for other neighborhoods with similar conditions. The partnership began in Spring 2022 and we are targeting Fall 2022 for implementation. Read more about the project here. To get involved with this project, contact Chad Olney at c[email protected]. |