It Takes a Community

How People Shape the Greenways

T. Christopher Peoples, Director of Equity + Economic Impact

One of the most common questions I get is “what is a Director of Equity + Economic Impact and why do we need one?” The short answer is that it’s my job to serve as the collaborator between greenway-adjacent neighborhoods, Great Rivers Greenway (GRG) and at St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) as we work toward equitable economic development strategies and initiatives. Together with these neighborhoods, we’re working to encourage economic rebound and repopulation, improve housing stock and resist displacement in what are some of the region’s most historic but disinvested neighborhoods. Because my role is funded by private funds at a public agency, I have the opportunity to engage in GRG projects on both a broader scale and with a more focused scope, particularly the most underserved and underrepresented neighborhoods.

As we work to make the St. Louis region a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a network of greenways, every bit of feedback and involvement coming out of our greenway neighborhoods is critical. It serves as a navigational waypoint to ensure we remain on the right course from start to finish and promotes long-term community ownership. In the case of the Brickline Greenway, the recently incorporated Brickline North Community Development Corporation (BNCDC) will serve as a conduit to encourage this vital involvement. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, BNCDC is comprised of both GRG staff, neighborhood representatives and key community stakeholders who have volunteered their time to help create a brighter future for their communities, specifically Covenant Blu-Grand Center, Jeff-Vander-Lou, and St. Louis Place. BNCDC will nurture the partnership between GRG and these three communities by establishing a structured environment for sustained collaboration and community involvement.

Influencing greenway programming is one of the core responsibilities of BNCDC as we look to foster community ownership of the Brickline Greenway in the years following its opening and because of that, we want to encourage engagement at all levels. Be it signing up for our newsletter, following us on social media, coming to town halls or volunteering time, there are ample ways to engage. For those with more time to volunteer, an interest in local government or both, numerous positions on BNCDC committees are open and we encourage you to reach out for additional information. Through sustained involvement of the community, the Brickline Greenway will be more capable of facilitating welcoming and inclusive programming accessible to all communities.

Beyond acting as a facilitator of collaborative programming, our hope here at GRG is for BNCDC to become a self-sustaining community group. The Brickline Greenway, and all greenways for that matter, is intended to not be something built for communities, but something co-created and owned by communities as a vessel and booster of cultural and economic opportunity. GRG projects strive to have direct, tangible impacts which improve the lives of residents and create an example for similar communities nationwide. If we as a regional community aspire to deliver this impact and bring these neighborhoods overdue support, we need communities to get involved. We need vendors to open shops along the greenway, we need instructors to lead classes, we need planners to help organize events, and we need our community to thrive.

Watch this brief video to learn more about Chris and his work along the Brickline Greenway.

To learn more about how you can get involved with the greenways, visit https://greatriversgreenway.org/volunteer/.