St. Louis’ Gateway Arch is one of the great symbols of an American city. So it’s unfortunate that for much of its life, its grounds have been isolated from downtown St. Louis by freeways. Some observers have credited the construction of highways, which bisect downtown St. Louis and cut off access to the Mississippi river, with ushering in city’s decades-long decline.

Now St. Louis is planning a major overhaul of Gateway Park and pedestrian access is finally getting the attention it deserves. Missouri Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition has been following the …

The folks at Brookings released a report Monday on the importance of exports to the economies of Great Lakes cities.
Among the findings:
- Exports support 1.95 million jobs in Great Lakes metros
- Cities in this region have some of the highest volumes (dollar-wise) of exports and the greatest reliance on exports. Out of the nation’s top 100 metro areas, Chicago ranks third and Detroit ranks ninth in total dollar volumes of exports. Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Indianapolis all rank in the top 20, the study states.
How does your city compare?
“Now …

Check out these before and after pictures of St. Louis’ Crown Square, provided by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The once dilapidated commercial plaza has been restored as part of a larger neighborhood revitalization strategy led by the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group, and it’s attracting national attention.

For more than two years, this revitalization effort has centered around an eight-block area in city’s Old North neighborhood.

“The new Crown Square will be mixed-use and walkable, containing apartments as well as commercial spaces, some sensitive new

Residents of St. Louis County showed their support for the local public transit system this week, voting 63-37 percent in favor of a 1/2-cent sales tax increase.

The increased revenues were needed to ward off major cuts for Metro, the local transit authority. County residents had rejected a similar initiative in 2008, according to the St. Louis American.
A broad coalition came out in support of this measure, including corporate leaders, university chancellors and black clergy.
-AS

Read about the efforts of young St. Louisans (St. Louis-ites? STLers?) to bring more brain and creative power to their city.
Rust Wire readers will see at least two familiar names in this story– that of Jeff and Randy Vines, frequent contributors to this site! Keep up the good work guys!
-KG

How do you view your city? How do you want others to view it?

A new interactive arts program in St. Louis poses those questions, and calls on citizens to create the portrait through media and personal expression.

Later this month, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts will launch Urban Alchemy/Gordon Matta-Clark, named for and continuing the legacy of a local urban activist who inspired community engagement through art.

Matta-Clark is best known for his “building cuts,” a series of works in abandoned buildings in which he variously removed sections of floors, ceilings, and walls.

Christopher Steiner’s new book $20 Per Gallon is an interesting read. The book’s thesis is that oil and gasoline prices will appreciate over time. Not just to $4 per gallon like we saw last summer, but significantly higher as supply dwindles and demand continues to pick up steam. It’s not all bad news, though. One potential revival that Steiner points to is the resurgence of Rust Belt cities; some of the same cities that have been badly struggling over the past few years.

Admittedly, it’s a plausible theory. Rust Belt cities …

The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA) is bringing its ‘Save the Dream’ foreclosure prevention event to St. Louis July 31 through August 1.
The organization says it will have 250 housing counselors and 500 volunteers on hand to handle crowds in St. Louis. A spokesman says NACA has already helped 25,000 homeowners receive loan modifications that helped them remain in their homes.
NACA recently stopped in Cleveland, where media sources claimed 80 percent of attendees were able to negotiate loan modifications that saved their homes.
Rust Wire disclaimer: From what I read, attending …

This article from St. Louis’ alt-weekly paper takes a look at some of the clean-up underway in the city for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game, which is Tuesday.
“Nearly 2,000 journalists have been issued credentials for the game and its peripheral events,” the article states, adding the game is set to be broadcast to 226 countries in twelve languages and more than 100 million households.
“City leaders are banking that the game will have a lasting impact on the local economy. If all goes well, they say, the thousands of tourists and …

On April 30th, 2009, one hundred St. Louisians stepped up to the line and threw their dart at the giant map of St. Louis City. They then had a month to visit the block where their dart landed and take a photograph.
The results are beautifully chronicled at dartstlouis.com.
A sampling: