‘Vacancy To Vibrancy’ Wins International Award
The renovation and preservation of historic buildings in the
City of St. Louis received international recognition from the
World Leadership Forum as it awarded St. Louis its World Leadership
Award in the category of housing.
“Our presentation was called ‘Vacancy To Vibrancy’ and focused
on the turnaround we have made in the housing market by creating
new housing units in historic buildings throughout the City,”
Mayor Francis G. Slay said from London where he made the presentation
and accepted the award on the City’s behalf. “This honor recognizes
the vision and hard work of the many people who are making St.
Louis a great City.”
In his presentation, Slay focused on rebuilding the City through
the creation of new housing units and renovating historic buildings.
Since 2000, more than 20,000 units have been rehabbed and 4,221
new units have been built in historic buildings, resulting in
almost 14,000 new residents of the City.
The World Leadership Award (www.world-leadership-forum.org/about.vc)
is an international award that recognizes great ideas and achievements
by cities. The award is given to cities whose leaders have shown
exceptional imagination, foresight or resilience in a number of
key areas – especially cities that have reversed trends, shaken
off traditional images, and acted as an example and inspiration
to others.
More than 400 cities around the world were asked to submit synopsis
of their most successful projects in a wide range of categories.
Last year, St. Louis won first place in the category of “Urban
Renewal.”
The World Leadership Forum is a not-for-profit organization
which promotes the best in modern city leadership worldwide.
Mayor Francis G. Slay accepted the award at the World Leadership
Forum in London along with Rollin Stanley (left), the City’s director
of planning and urban design.
