Setting East St. Louis On The Right Track

Kenneth Reardon recounts the decade-long successful effort to revitalize the once-devestated East St. Louis community.

1 minute read

May 23, 2003, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


East St. Louis was once called the most devastated small city in the country. But the dedication of some resident organizers and the support of a local university brought a light rail stop into one of the poorest neighborhoods - and with it access to jobs, schools, and new hope, writes Kenneth Reardon. "Nowhere was the devastation more visible than in the older neighborhoods like Emerson Park, which surround the city's business district and where most of the city’s poorest residents live.

Thanks to Moving Ideas: The Electronic Policy Network

Thursday, May 1, 2003 in Shelterforce Online

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