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Old North, New Refuge. 2018
TO JUSTIFY THE $6 BILLION INVESTMENT OF THE NORTH SIDE/SOUTH SIDE METRO LINE EXPANSION, THIS NEW MODE OF TRANSPORTATION SHOULD INCREASE CONNECTIVITY IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS, WHILE CREATING AND SUSTAINING EQUITY THROUGHOUT ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS ALONG THE NEW LINE. THE POPULATION OF ST. LOUIS IS CURRENTLY AT ITS LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1880 AT ONLY 320,000. WITH ONLY A DENSITY OF 4,900 PEOPLE PER/SQ MILE IN OLD NORTH, AN UPSURGE OF OUR MERE 816 ANNAUL REFUGEE ACCEPTANCE (2016) CAN CATALYZE AND SUSTAIN A THRIVING ECONOMY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SUPPORTING RESOURCES ALREADY EXIST THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YET ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ARE REQUIRED TO SERVE THE VARIOUS NEEDS OF THE INFLUX OF NEW REFUGEES. THIS SPECULATIVE PROPOSAL GENERATES A SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG A SEGMENT OF THE PROPOSED METRO-LINK THAT SEEKS TO SERVE AND HOST A NEW POPULATION OF REFUGEES IN THE CITY OF ST. LOUIS.
OLD NORTH CURRENTLY SITS ISOLATED BETWEEN THE HIGHWAY, THE PRUITT IGOE SITE, AND THE FUTURE NGA (NATIONAL GEO-SPATIAL AGENCY) SITE. THE NEIGHBORHOOD FACES SEVERAL CHALLENGES INCLUDING HIGH VACANCY RATES, LOW ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD, A POOR CONNECTION TO THE RIVERFRONT, AND A LACK OF GREEN SPACE. BY DENSIFYING THE NEIGHBORHOOD, STITCHING THE URBAN FABRIC WITH AN ACTIVE, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND RE-IMAGINING THE INDUSTRIAL WATERFRONT, THE METRO-LINK EXPANSION CAN ACT AS A CATALYST TO SUPPORT AND IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR CURRENT RESIDENTS, WHILE ALLOWING FOR A NEW, DIVERSE, AND ROBUST NEIGHBORHOOD POPULATION.
CURRENTLY, OLD NORTH IS HOME TO 1,916 RESIDENTS. WHEN CONSIDERING THE PROPOSED RE-DENSIFICATION, THE NEIGHBORHOOD COULD HOUSE 9,245 RESIDENTS AT MAX CAPACITY. THIS IS NEARLY 5 TIMES IT’S CURRENT POPULATION. DURING THE 1990’S TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BOSNIAN REFUGEES WERE INTEGRATED INTO OUR SOCIAL FABRIC. BETWEEN 2003-2013, 4,099 OF THEM HAVE BECOME NATURALIZED AND ARE NOW FULLY INTEGRATED INTO OUR SOCIETY. MANY OF THE BOSNIAN REFUGEES HABE REHABBED HOMES IN THE CITY, OPENED BUSINESSES AND CONTINUE TO BE A VITAL WORKFORCE IN OUR CITY’S ECONOMY. A LARGE INFLUX OF REFUGEES COULD REVERSE THE TREND OF OUR DYING CITY BY CREATING A MORE DENSE, DIVERSE, AND VITAL ST. LOUIS.
Systems Diagram