East St. Louis Action Research Project
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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ESTL Light Rail Project

Executive Summary

The planned implementation of St. Louis, Missouri's current light rail system into the area of East St. Louis, IL would be a net benefit to the area. The economic benefits would enhance the area's population with spin-off business and there would be a base population of middle income families brought back into the area. This is because the cost of living in East St. Louis is lower than that of living in St. Louis Mo. The previous evaluation that was done for the area of East St. Louis confirms this fact in a number of areas.

The evaluation reached the conclusion that the visual quality of the area might suffer very slightly from the initial implementation of the light rail, but later the area would prosper. This is because the light rail would enhance the area economically, thus bringing up the quality of life for the residents. The residents will then be more likely to improve their properties, and by this action improve the overall visual quality of East St. Louis.

The historical and cultural benefits of the rail line will also be felt. The increase of economic benefits to the area will allow for the rehabilitation of currently unused structures. This will also reinforce the improvements made to the visual quality of the area.

Next, the light rail line would provide a corridor for the planting of vegetation that is indigenous to the area. This would provide land that would be allowed to revert to 'original prairie' conditions. This is a big asset the area, as it is often the case that the land along railways is the only place for this to occur. Shelter for small animals that are native to the area would also be provided. This would provide a habitat for birds and other animals that prey on these small animals. A small nature preserve could develop as a result of this.

For the above stated reasons the light rail line through East St. Louis would be a net benefit to the area. This is not to say that there would be negative aspects such as some pollution and increased noise levels, but these factors would be out-weighed by the economic, visual, cultural, and ecological benefits that the area would experience.

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Document author(s) : Kevin Merrifield, Amy Caldwell, Brett Harsen, and Martha Pedersen
HTML by : Kevin Merrifield
Last modified: December 31, 1996

East St. Louis Action Research Project