Developing the Recipe for a Thriving Corridor in St. Louis

Along an eight-mile corridor that runs westward from the Gateway Arch, the population has jumped 10 percent since 2000. Tim Bryant examines the ingredients that define the place "where St. Louis succeeds as a city."

1 minute read

January 28, 2014, 9:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Along a narrow corridor from the riverfront to Interstate 170, bounded by Delmar Boulevard to the north and Interstate 64 (Highway 40) to the south, St. Louis is experiencing an urban renaissance. Rail transit, cultural institutions, thriving businesses, civic offices, high-quality green spaces, and historic buildings are among the ingredients that add up to the place "where St. Louis succeeds as a city," writes Bryant. 

"Sarah Coffin, associate professor of public policy studies at SLU, and other urban experts said the corridor’s growing vitality will continue to attract new residents who prefer to walk more and drive less. 'People’s tastes are changing about how they want to live and where they want to live,' Coffin said."

The successes of the corridor are flowing into adjoining areas as well, adds Bryant. "Experts said that central corridor development is promoting overdue growth elsewhere, particularly south to the Botanical Heights and Shaw neighborhoods and through the Forest Park Southeast area to the Grove entertainment district."

“The idea of building off success instead of leaving it as an isolated instance is taking shape,” said Zack Boyers, chief executive of St. Louis-based U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corp.

Sunday, January 26, 2014 in St. Louis Post-Dispatch

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder