St. Louis

Flooded Mississippi River next to Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis has a Secret Stormwater Weapon Saving 100 Million Gallons from the Mississippi

The city reimburses residents who install gardens, rain barrels, and other methods that retain stormwater and decrease the risk of flooding.

October 21, 2025 - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Brick two-story home with barn-shape roof under construction in St. Louis, Missouri.

St. Louis Nonprofit Builds Housing for Struggling Artists

The St. Louis Art Place Initiative purchases city-owned vacant properties and rehabilitates them, offering homeownership opportunities to local artists.

August 13, 2025 - Shelterforce

Sunset view of Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis Zeroing in on Safe Streets

The city is creating its first Department of Transportation and using hundreds of millions in federal funding to launch road safety projects.

September 17, 2024 - Streetsblog USA

Great Rivers Greenway bike trail bridge over highway in St. Louis, Missouri.

Moving Beyond Crash Statistics to Understand Road Safety

Why measuring traffic deaths alone doesn’t paint a full picture.

August 8, 2024 - nextSTL

View of the Gateway Arch with Mississippi River in foreground and St. Louis skyline in background.

St. Louis to Introduce Traffic Calming Downtown

The city will redesign three major streets to slow traffic and improve safety.

April 7, 2024 - First Alert 4

Kansas City streetcar running down street lined with trees in fall colors.

Funding Approved for St. Louis Transit Agency

After a failed vote last month, the St. Louis County Council voted to move forward with a $128-million infusion into the regional transit system.

November 22, 2023 - KMOV

Two adults stand behind a table, gesturing toward a model of a city while talking to a young child about buildings and parks and streets.

An Urban Planner Dedicated to Winning the Funding Necessary to Do the Work

An interview with Katy Shackelford, AICP, PTP, an urban planner and a funding specialist, to discuss the unique paths a planning career can take, and how unexpected career choices can deliver big benefits.

July 10, 2023 - James Brasuell

St. Louis Transit

Bus Service Cut in St. Louis Again

Metro Transit has bus transit operations in St. Louis for the third time in seven months due to systemwide staff shortages.

June 13, 2023 - St. Louis Riverfront Times

Sunset view of Gateway Arch and downtown St. Louis, Missouri

Residents Oppose St. Louis County’s Proposed Ban on Walking in Roadways

While the bill’s sponsor calls it a safety measure, advocates for people with disabilities, joggers, and other groups say the bill would unfairly target them.

May 11, 2023 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

An Amtrak train waits at the Uptown Station in Normal, Illinois on its way from Chicago to St. Louis.

Chicago-St. Louis Corridor Trains Cleared for 110-mph Speeds

Amtrak has final federal approval for train speeds of 110 miles per hour between Joliet and Alton, culminating almost ten years of planning and investing.

May 4, 2023 - Amtrak

St. Louis Metrolink

St. Louis Train Expansion Planning Receives Federal Funding

The Bi-State Development Agency received roughly $7.4 million for efforts to expand the city’s MetroLink train system.

March 28, 2023 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

St. Louis

St. Louis Pledges to Repair Sidewalks. Residents Have Heard it Before.

A $6 million program takes aim at a backlog of thousands of requests for sidewalk maintenance, but critics say requiring property owners to foot half of the bill excludes less affluent neighborhoods.

February 23, 2023 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Two bridges cross the Mississippi Rivera midst thick vegetation and few other signs of human intervention.

$323 Million Waterfront Project Cruising Along in St. Louis

Lighthouse Point, a $323 million marina and waterfront development proposed for the banks of the Mississippi River, has already been granted a special district, tax abatements, and sales tax exemptions.

November 23, 2022 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

An intersection is adorned with paint depicting the Italian flag in St. Louis.

St. Louis Had Enough of the Federal Government’s Crosswalk Paint Policy

St. Louis is not the only city to decide that the Federal Highway Administration’s policies against brightly painted crosswalks. The evidence is on the side of the resistance.

September 6, 2022 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Rendering of slip lane with corner island

The Trouble With Slip Lanes

Right-turn lanes can make traffic flow more smoothly, but make roadway conditions more dangerous for pedestrians and other road users on non-motorized vehicles.

April 11, 2022 - Next STL

Saint Louis gateway arch and Kiener Park

Free Electric Shuttles Launch in St. Louis

On-demand electric shuttles bring a new transit option to downtown St. Louis.

April 6, 2022 - St. Louis Public Radio

Delmar Loop

The Uncertain Future of the St. Louis Loop Trolley

St. Louis faces losing federal funds if the Loop Trolley remains defunct. But is the 2.2-mile line worth it?

January 5, 2022 - nextSTL

An Amtrak passenger train is shown on a spring day, rolling through a rural area in Missouri.

Amtrak Hits New Top Speeds Between St. Louis and Chicago

A project that won funding from federal stimulus programs during the Obama administration is finally paying off on the Amtrak route between Chicago and St. Louis.

December 24, 2021 - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

4 abandoned homes in St. Louis's Greater Ville neighborhood

St. Louis Could Fine Developers For Multi-Family Conversions

The city is considering implementing a fee for developers who reduce the number of units in a rehabbed building in a bid to discourage the loss of housing.

November 22, 2021 - St. Louis Public Radio

A woman in a mask shops at Trader Joe's.

Los Angeles County First to Recommend Resumption of Indoor Masking

Due to the emergence of the more transmissible Delta variant, Los Angeles County's masking guidance goes beyond what the CDC and the state health department recommend for those who are fully vaccinated. St. Louis has joined them.

July 6, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.