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NEIGHBORHOOD DESCRIPTIONS

To read individual neighborhood descriptions, see the neighborhood map and alphabetical list

St. Louis is a city of neighborhoods - a statement noted so often that it has become a cliché. Yet there is much truth in the observation. The goals of this report about the diverse and heritage-rich neighborhoods of St. Louis are to:

• Help citizens better appreciate their neighborhood, including its heritage, character, institutions, and flavor.
• Better understand the challenges and dynamics that influence each neighborhood.
• Suggest the range of potential opportunities for planning and development that exist within each neighborhood.

The makeup of a city neighborhood is shaped by many factors: its age, the kinds of people who live there, the nature of its original development, the ratio of children to adults, and much more. There is no easy way to say what makes a great neighborhood. Ultimately, satisfaction is determined by preferences that vary with each individual. Nevertheless, many would agree that some common factors are usually present in a neighborhood that seems to work.

• Confidence. In successful neighborhoods, residents have confidence in their own safety; in the value of their property; and in the sense that, in general, things are getting better, not worse.
• Investment. A neighborhood needs ongoing reinvestment - not just on big projects, but in continuous maintenance and improvements by all property owners.
• Spirit. Neighborhoods that work are characterized by residents and business owners who share enthusiasm and an attitude of cooperation that gets things done.
• Stability. Gradual change, not precipitous change, is desirable. Neighborhoods that are changing rapidly in terms of who lives there or ways in which the area is developing can engender concern.
• Heritage. A sense of history - of people having lived in the same place in different times - is often an important element in neighborhood identity.
• Institutions. Public, nonpublic, and private organizations are key. The challenge is to identify resources and motivate the neighborhood to take advantage of its assets.

In using this report, it is important to realize that neighborhood boundaries are subjective. In the real world two different neighborhoods may perceive a given geography as belonging to each. On the other hand, for purposes of this report, and city reporting in general, we have defined a set of neighborhood boundaries that do not overlap.

It is also important to appreciate that this document is not a neighborhood plan. It does not constitute a statement of desirable goals and objectives around which there is consensus. Nor should it be considered as any kind of definitive statement. It is simply a summary designed to encourage discussion, especially about planning and development opportunities that could be beneficial.

Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Areas

The approximately 18 neighborhoods that make up the St. Louis Enterprise Community and Empowerment Zone areas of the city, along with the Forest Park Southeast Neighborhood, have been previously designated Neighborhood Revitalization Areas by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Once designated, such areas have somewhat more flexibility in the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. For example, job creation and retention activities are considered as meeting an "area benefit" and hence do not have to be tracked by individual company. Similarly, assisted housing units are considered in the aggregate, rather than on a project-by-project basis, in calculating the low- and moderate-income national objective criteria.

The City intends to ask HUD that additional neighborhoods be approved as revitalization areas, recognizing that HUD must consider a number of explicit selection criteria. These criteria include (1) the presence of a large number of low- and moderate-income residents; (2) a strategy developed in consultation with area stakeholders; (3) an assessment of economic conditions and opportunities; (4) a realistic development strategy that promotes the creation of jobs for unemployed and low-and moderate-income residents, as well as promoting substantial revitalization; and (5) identification of performance measures or benchmarks that will be used.

Acknowledgments

The primary authors of this report are Kate Partridge and Chuck Meyer of Project Respond; Terry Beiter of Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.; and independent consultants Brandy Berry, Brian Horton, Matt Schaffer, and Jess Usury. Special thanks are also given to the St. Louis Neighborhood Stabilization Team, Project Respond, and the GIS Laboratory at Saint Louis University.

For more information about individual neighborhoods in St. Louis, readers are encouraged to check the Neighborhood Section of the St. Louis Community Information Network at http://stlouis.missouri.org.