East St. Louis Action Research Project
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Big Plans, Small Plans
Big Plans, Small Plans
Opportunities for change in the East St. Louis region
Graduate Studio, LA/Arch 437/465, Fall 1995
Progress has been made on numerous fronts in improving the urban fabric of East St. Louis. It is now time to step back and examine the bigger picture to identify some goals for future collaborations. Students in the Graduate Studio have developed a series of planning proposals and some concrete examples of design and planning responses to issues in East St. Louis. Our hope is to stimulate further discussion and the eventual identification of city-scale initiatives we can pursue together.
Proposals address four main areas of concern:
Regional Open Space
A Region Transformed
R. Umashankar
Identifying ways to revitalize the region's vacant and abandoned lots to bring it back into productivity while recreating urban identity and community pride
New Value for Old Land
D. Timlin.
Combining community greening with managing the landscape for new economic activities -- new land use options for East St. Louis open lands.
East St. Louis Youth Golf Center
J. Wetzel
The siting and design of a novel recreation opportunity aimed at introducing underprivileged kids to a healthy alternative to basketball, football, and baseball.
Urban Open Space Reclamation
Linking Waterfront and City
J. Jones
Connecting the waterfront through the central business district to the neighborhoods to benefit the social, cultural, and economic life of the city.
American Bottom Habitat Arboretum
B. Baugher
An educational resource showcasing the vegetation and habitats originally found in the American Bottom and putting abandoned land to new purposes.
Native Bottomland Habitats for Wildlife Refuge
D. Koenigs
Creating native habitats in less used areas of Kenneth Hall Park. Goals include: protecting endangered species, reusing neglected urban land, and educating citizens about native habitats and endangered species.
Family, Friends, and Foundations: Directions for Hall Park
B. Kusy
Once an elegant strolling park, years of low funding have led to lack of maintenance and disrepair. Rebuilding the park will allow the community to reclaim its heritage and provide a foundation for generations to come.
Restoration of Urban Fabric
On track to economic revival
D. Franklin
A proposed extension to the light rail Metrolink will bring economic growth and prosperity to areas around stations. Careful thought must be given to planning these locations.
Sustainability and Multiple-use
Y. Qing
To revitalize the depressed central business area in East St. Louis, a mixed-use urban development scheme focused on the light rail station is proposed here.
Olivette Park Neighborhood People's District
B. Mehra
Using the network of existing community cultural assets a plan is proposed for a cultural district defined by a landscape master plan that celebrates the social and cultural history of this important neighborhood.
Neighborhood Image Development
Streetscape and Image
M. Inouye
Themes such as childcare, food and nutrition, and healthcare are celebrated in a design to enhance the memorability of an urban neighborhood.
Designing Safe Neighborhoods
M. Shure
Design proposals which reflect the results of neighborhood crime perception surveys have been created to show East St. Louis residents how to improve the safety of their neighborhoods.
The Spirit of African American Yards
Y. Xu
This study explores the vernacular language of African-American front yards. African-American front yard prototypes have been developed based on observed residential landscape features and structures.
A New State Street for Edgemont
L. Ji
A new image of Edgemont is proposed through the development of an entrance plaza, using participatory design to define issues, and generate planning strategies for the development of State Street.