Mayor Clarence Harmon's efforts to revitalize St. Louis are drawing extensively on Washington University expertise, including that of John Hoal, associate professor of architecture and urban design, who sees potential for the city's downtown to be a 24-hour-a-day, vibrant center of cultural, residential, entertainment, retail and business uses.
"Critically important to the success of downtown is the necessity for high quality design that creates distinctive and compatible places for people to live, work and play," said Hoal, who heads the School of Architecture's Master of Architecture and Urban Design program.
"St. Louis already has done many of the big projects like Union Station, the Kiel Center and the TWA Dome," he observed. "In addition to large-scale catalytic projects, we now need to do some of the small, yet arguably more difficult things to link the assets together and create long-term, self-sustaining economic growth."
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Hoal is spearheading an interdisciplinary team of design and development professionals who are working with "Downtown Now!," an initiative Harmon launched to revitalize the city's center. The collaborative 18-month effort brings together a steering committee of representatives from St. Louis 2004, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership, City of St. Louis, Regional Commerce and Growth Association and the St. Louis Development Corporation.
A 140-member task force also represents residents, businesses, civic organizations, city officials and other stakeholders who are working together to spur new initiatives downtown. Members of Downtown Now!, which formed in October 1997, are designing a seven- to 10-year plan to rejuvenate the area. Goals range from creating major housing and office development to building a new central plaza and renovating the historic Old Post Office.
Other initiatives would include building day care centers, linking the Old Courthouse and Gateway Arch grounds, establishing pedestrian and biking paths and reinvigorating the retail climate with inviting storefronts, specialty shops and cafés.
Downtown Now! has just completed a series of five public meetings held over the last year in which community members identified priorities. By next spring, Hoal's team plans to have concrete details for specific initiatives and their anticipated costs.
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To better chart the city's future, Hoal's team began by examining downtown's distinct districts, land use, transportation systems, parking and open space. The team, which represents 13 firms from around the country and Canada, also researched other cities to see what leaders are doing to improve their downtowns. The St. Louis project initially is focusing on improvements to Laclede's Landing, Riverside North, Washington Avenue, the Old Post Office Square/Central Business Core and Gateway Mall.
Hoal is a natural for such large-scale, community-based projects. In his previous role as director of urban design for St. Louis City's development office, he led a team in creating a $200 million master plan for Forest Park. The ongoing plan calls for improvements to the park's natural systems, cultural institutions and other facilities by 2004.
Hoal's efforts mesh with the School of Architecture's long-standing tradition of involvement with community issues. In addition to faculty members' recent leadership roles with St. Louis 2004, Architecture Dean Cynthia Weese, FAIA, serves on the Downtown Now! task force and a Forest Park advisory committee. Architecture students have been actively engaged in both the Forest Park and downtown plans through design studios, classes, site visits and internships.
"The students' exposure to these projects," Hoal said, "helps them understand the complexity and excitement of urban design, as well as the necessity for architects and urban designers to become fully engaged with the community."
