Design Competition

Chouteau Greenway Design Competition Complete; Project Planning Begins With Community Input

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Great Rivers Greenway and partners have completed the final phase of the Chouteau Greenway International Design Competition, a 1-year public-private partnership to imagine a greenway focused on connectivity, economic opportunity, equity and sustainability in the City of St. Louis. A report published today at www.ChouteauGreenway.org details additions and refinements to the original conceptual plan submitted by the Stoss Landscape Urbanism team in April. The next phase of planning includes multiple engagement opportunities such as recruiting additional neighborhood representation, gathering input on the engagement plan itself and a community event in February.

The report shares a new mission/vision statement, “Chouteau Greenway will transform St. Louis by connecting people and our City’s most treasured places, creating inspiring experiences and equitable opportunities for growth.” More than just a free, accessible trail where people can exercise, commute or explore, the project’s goals include offering an exceptional experience to residents and tourists alike. The greenway aims to create dynamic, active spaces and serve as a regional gathering place that encourages collaboration and boosts civic pride.

Since being selected by the competition jury in May, the Stoss team, comprised of 13 firms or individuals from St. Louis as well as other cities, has been working with Great Rivers Greenway, partners and stakeholders to incorporate the feedback gathered during the competition into their concept. The next step is to create an overall framework plan, before beginning design and engineering on specific segments.

“This project is full of exciting opportunities and interesting challenges that will be a catalyst for new ideas; our team is looking forward to working with St. Louisans to find innovative solutions,” said Chris Reed, FASLA and Founding Director at Stoss Landscape Urbanism. “In our first six months, we will focus on studying routes, designing the look and feel of the greenway and proposing economic and equity plans for the project.”

When the framework is complete in Summer 2019, particular pieces of geography will be studied in projects called “labs” to test the framework and further design specific greenway segments. The map below shows the routes to be studied throughout the area that stretches from Forest Park to Gateway Arch National Park and Tower Grove to Fairground Parks through 19 city neighborhoods.

In addition to Great Rivers Greenway and the Stoss team, the project will be led by a Steering Committee and Working Groups made up of residents, technical experts, City representatives and community leaders. Beyond the Community Advisory Committee formed last fall, Great Rivers Greenway now seeks six additional residents to ensure that each neighborhood in the areas to be studied is represented. Residents of Carr Square, Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Greater Ville, Jeff VanderLou, St. Louis Place and Tiffany neighborhoods are invited to sign up. Additionally, an Artists of Color Council was formed in July through an open call, which resulted in eight artists being hired to advise the local art and engagement components of the project.

“Chouteau Greenway is all about bringing people together to think differently about St. Louis,” said Susan Trautman, CEO of Great Rivers Greenway. “This process will have many voices working together to ultimately connect our city, creating opportunities for economic growth in an equitable way.”

The Stoss team will be collaborating with local consultant Vector Communications for Great Rivers Greenway’s civic engagement on the project. Anyone who lives, works, plays, learns or visits the area of the future Chouteau Greenway is invited to engage with the project in multiple ways, including subscribing for email or text updates and attending a series of community events, the first of which is set for Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. Future events and opportunities to review the plans will follow throughout spring and summer of 2019.

“We will continue to connect with residents, businesses, students, community groups, property owners and other stakeholders,” said Shaughnessy H. Daniels, Community Engagement Manager for Great Rivers Greenway. “Please help us fill in our plan by sharing the groups, organizations or people we should know about – call us, stop by our office or find the form online.”

Details and sign-ups for all of those efforts, plus the end of the competition report, are available at www.ChouteauGreenway.org or by calling 314-436-7009.

The Chouteau Greenway Design Competition is a major public-private partnership to bring a long-time vision to life. The 1-year process is a transformational project to connect Washington University and Forest Park through our city to downtown and the Gateway Arch, with spurs north and south to connect our city’s vibrant neighborhoods, parks, business and arts districts, employment centers, transit and dozens of cultural and educational institutions. For more information, visit www.ChouteauGreenway.org.

 

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Community Members, Partners and Designers Will Envision Chouteau Greenway Through Design Competition

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Great Rivers Greenway forming new Citizen Advisory Committee to provide vision and guidance for the greenway project

Great Rivers Greenway is leading a major public-private partnership to establish the conceptual plan for the Chouteau Greenway in St. Louis City through an international design competition and is requesting citizen input to help guide the process. The goal of the new greenway project is to connect the areas of Washington University and Forest Park east to Downtown and the Gateway Arch. The competition – led by architect Donald J. Stastny, FAIA, who managed the design competition for the CityArchRiver project – will officially kick off with the release of a Request for Qualifications in September.

In an effort to gather input from the community in advance of the design submissions, Great Rivers Greenway is recruiting community members to be a part of a 40-member Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) that will help provide vision and guidance for the Chouteau Greenway project.

Those who live or work in or visit the project area and residents of the region alike are encouraged to apply to be a part of the committee. CAC Members will provide and help collect input on the past and current conditions of the area and the desired future connections and destinations. Members should be able to envision what a dynamic, unique and memorable St. Louis greenway experience could feel like and inform the project team.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with community members and partners on a transformational vision that goes beyond our typical greenway project,” said Susan Trautman, CEO of Great Rivers Greenway. “This competition will explore how the Chouteau Greenway can connect people and places, provide equitable economic opportunity and options for people to get around town and live life outside.”

The Chouteau Greenway, plus connections to the north and south, will be part of the overall network of greenways being built by Great Rivers Greenway and partners. The greenway will connect area neighborhoods, employment centers, parks, transit and dozens of cultural and educational institutions. The competition invites designers to think beyond the trail itself to create active, vibrant spaces and destinations along the way. The goal is to have the greenway be a dynamic and unique St. Louis experience, similar to the High Line in New York City or the Atlanta Beltline.

The design competition is privately funded by Saint Louis University, Lawrence Group, Green Street St. Louis, Grand Center Inc., Forest Park Forever, Washington University in St. Louis, Washington University Medical Center, Arch to Park Collaborative, and the Great Rivers Greenway Foundation. Additional stakeholder groups are being formed to provide input throughout the process from a wide variety of partners, agencies, businesses and organizations.

The competition will kick off in September with a call for design teams to submit their qualifications. A jury of professionals will narrow the submissions down to four in early December. Those four teams will be paid a stipend to work on a conceptual design, presenting to the jury in the spring.

“Rooting the project’s goals and principles in the values of the community, and opening up the project to the international design community through a competition allows for the best of both worlds,” said Stastny, manager of the competition. “The intersection of local ideals and international best practices and perspectives will create a world-class experience for residents and visitors alike.”

Applications for the project’s Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) can be found on Great Rivers Greenway’s website. Those interested in being a part of the committee must be committed to attending a monthly meeting, from September 2017 through April 2018. CAC members will engage throughout the project to inform the teams, jury, partners and each other at various stages of the process. Transportation and childcare support are available, and food will be provided at each meeting. Meeting times and days will be set with the selected committee members. Great Rivers Greenway will also have surveys, outreach and events throughout the project to invite input both from those who live, work and play in the area as well as the region as a whole.

The first segment of the Chouteau Greenway is currently under construction as part of the TIGER grant project to build a new MetroLink station at the Cortex Innovation District. The competition and resulting conceptual design will help partners determine a plan and schedule for designing, engineering and building each additional portion of the overall greenway.

For more information about the project or to apply for the CAC, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/Chouteau.

About Great Rivers Greenway:
Great Rivers Greenway is the public agency connecting the St. Louis region with greenways, with 113 miles built so far. St. Louisans decided to leave a legacy for future generations by investing in and connecting together some of our region’s best assets – rivers, parks and communities.

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