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Work now under way to restore the historic waterway in St.Louis' 123-year-old Forest Park is a key element in a $150 million master plan developed by John Hoal, associate professor of architecture.
"We are literally rebuilding the River Des Peres and using it as a connective force for the entire park," said Hoal, director of the School of Architecture's Master of Architecture and Urban Design Program. "The River Returns project will allow us to restore the landscape, provide various wildlife habitats, create recreational areas and provide unique areas for environmental education."
Led by Hoal, a 20-member design team devised the strategy of rebuilding the river after mapping the old riverbed and current seasonal flooding. The group -- naturalists, water conservationists, landscape architects, ecologists, civil engineers, soil and water specialists, architects, park managers and recreational planners -- concluded that rebuilding the park's 2.5-mile-long historic waterway could naturally guide much of the park's resurgence.
Twelve small lakes and lagoons are now being reconnected with existing portions of the river and three larger, more formal lakes. The four-year river reconstruction process, which is more than 20percent complete, also will mean diverting an overflow sewer, renovating the park's sewer and storm-water system and restoring the park's waterfalls and fountains.
Hoal's 200-page master plan outlines improvements for the park's natural systems, cultural institutions and other facilities in preparation for the 100th anniversary of the 1904 World's Fair, which took place in the park. Based on extensive analysis and community input, the master plan not only addresses governance and financing, but also relies heavily on sustainable and ecological design.
The multifaceted plan, which has earned numerous planning and landscape architectural honors, recently received the prestigious Catherine Brown Award for Landscape Urbanism from the Congress for the New Urbanism. The award recognizes the plan's emphasis on community involvement during the two-year planning and design process. It also commends its careful consideration of social and ecological issues, which, according to the Congress for the New Urbanism, "had a revolutionary effect on the design of this venerable urban park."
The River Returns project is a prime example of how restoring the park's ecosystem will improve the environment as well as augment the park's offerings for its many visitors. "As the river's water channel and stagnant bodies of water are reconnected, they will create distinct natural habitats with plant life that is both varied and sustainable," Hoal noted. "These areas, ranging from wetlands to prairie streams to forest environments, will not only restore the park's ecology and enhance its biodiversity, but also offer visitors new recreational opportunities in fishing, boating and hiking."
Currently, 6million gallons of water a day from the city's water supply system flow into and back out of the park's portion of the River Des Peres. A new pump system at one end of the park and the creation of natural wetlands will drastically reduce this outflow and improve the water quality. Selected aquatic and riparian planting along the river's shoreline also will function as naturalistic edging to prevent erosion, filter pollutants and provide habitat for fish and wildlife.
When the park was established in 1876, it was viewed as "a great romantic landscape with winding trails and carriage ways through deep woods and pastoral fields, surrounded by informal water bodies and naturalistic streams," according to the original park plan.
The 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition, located in the park's western half, brought dramatic changes to this idyllic setting, including the loss of numerous trees, flattening the topography to make way for the World's Fair facilities and rerouting the River Des Peres, which eventually was buried in an underground sewer system. While the fair's legacy paved the way for the addition of world-class cultural institutions -- the St.Louis Zoo, Art Museum, History Museum, Science Center and outdoor Municipal Opera or Muny -- the environmental toll on the park set the pace for continued degradation of the park's natural systems.
The master plan recognizes the need for a healthy ecosystem while providing diverse recreational opportunities for the park's 12million annual visitors. The document spells out overall goals for the park and addresses major issues such as flooding and erosion, conflicting uses, accessibility and confusing internal roadways, inadequate parking, crumbling infrastructure, unhealthy waterways, institutional expansion and cooperation, and long-term funding.
Major initiatives include strategic planting of 7,500 trees as well as other native vegetation that offers "visual drama"; improvements to Pagoda Circle, near the main entrance to the Muny; restoration of the Grand Basin, Art Hill and Post-Dispatch Lake area as "the heart of the park"; the addition of a new jogging path and an art walk with outdoor statues; and improvements to the active recreation areas throughout the park.
