Community-Based Open Space Design for East St. Louis
LA
336/438
Spring
2005
Professor
Laura Lawson
LA
336/438A Report
This year’s East
St. Louis vertical studio focused on park
and open space design. Once a thriving industrial city, East St. Louis currently struggles to
maintain existing parks and activate vacant land amid concerns about flooding,
environmental hazards left from industry, depopulation, poverty, and
crime. This is a university
community-learning course in which students learn about local conditions and
concerns directly from residents while providing professional services to
neighborhood organizations seeking to improve their communities. Students have
developed designs that address environmental conditions, incorporate community
history, satisfy residents’ needs and concerns, and offer new opportunities for
future generations. Projects include:
Park Systems for East
St. Louis (4 phases to this project)
An ideal for a “new” city developed on the site of what is
now East St. Louis
2.
An analysis of East St. Louis
conditions prior to visiting the city
3.
A proposed park system that synthesizes an ideal with mapped conditions
4.
A park system / city development strategy in light of semester’s
experiences
41st Street
Corridor Park: Working with the 41st
St. Action Group, student teams proposed designs
for a new 3.5-acre linear park along existing railroad right-of-way. Four projects were presented at a community
meeting for discussion. Based on community feedback, a final design was
developed and approved by the residents, who intend to build the park.
Jones Park Fountain: The Emma L. Wilson King family foundation is
seeking to restore the Jones
Park fountain, which has
not functioned for over thirty years. Students met with fifteen family members
at the site in February to discuss project objectives. In March, the students presented sixteen
alternative designs, from which four were selected for further development. One
design will be selected at the foundation’s April meeting.
[link to www.emmalkingfoundation.org]
Lincoln Park: The South End New Development Organization
wants to restore Lincoln Park.
Students met with residents and conducted fieldwork. Student design teams
developed designs grounded in three concerns: safety, expanded activities, and
historical interpretation.
Students:
Research Assistant Sungkyung Lee
With assistance from ESLARP staff, faculty, and students,
including Vicki Eddings, Janni
Sorensen, Sangjun Kang, and Justin Placek, as well as NTAC staffmember
Billie Turner.