September 2017 – Began community engagement to understand the wants and needs of residents. From digital outreach to neighborhood meetings, a listening tour to pop up events, mailings and more, 2,062 people contributed ideas through the survey, plus a Community Advisory Committee was formed to help create a set of community goals for the design teams to follow.
November 2017 – Great Rivers Greenway and partners received a total of 19 team qualifications submittals for the first stage of the competition. A total of 124 firms from seven countries and 13 U.S. states made up the team submissions, with 44 of the firms being local to the St. Louis region. Learn more about the chosen teams here.
November 2017 – The jury selected 4 of the 19 teams to advance. Recap here.
January 2018 – The design teams got a full briefing and were officially challenged to come up with ideas to address the geography below in the context of the Design and Community Goals.
April 2018 – Meet the concepts that were submitted: exhibit boards, full design reports People gave feedback online, through exhibits all over town and attended or watched the livestream of the presentations from the teams to the jury.
April 2018 – The jury deliberated and selected the Stoss Landscape Urbanism team, made up of 12 entities (6 local to St. Louis, 6 national). Read the full press release AND their jury report!
July 2018 – To help ensure that the greenway is representative of the community and welcoming to all visitors, Great Rivers Greenway, with the support of the Whitaker Foundation, has assembled a new Artists of Color Council. Made up of visual, literary and performing artists, this council will provide guidance to design, promote and implement art and engagement opportunities within the greenway area.
Fall 2018 – Work to refine the concept continues while engagement evolves. The Community Advisory Committee, Design Oversight Committee and Technical Advisory Committee, tools of the competition, are finished. Some of those members and many new faces are recruited to join a Steering Committee and Working Groups, blending a variety of voices into groups focused on design, routes, economics, equity and governance.
February 2019 – On February 5, 2019, we welcomed more than 300 people to our Community Update, which included a presentation, more than 25 other partners with tables and engagement activities and a series of display boards to update everyone. Event and digital interactive mapping activities gathered input from participants.
Spring/Summer 2019 – The Steering Committee and Working Groups guide the team through the creation of a Framework Plan, creating a platform for the project before any designs for any segments begin, addressing design choices including art, amenities, ecology and more, route options and criteria for selection, economic opportunities, governance models and equity considerations. Stakeholder engagement with elected officials, neighborhood leaders and other institutions continues. Four major Feedback and Fun Fests were held in July 2019 to gather people’s input, including writing love letters and breakup letters to the City of St. Louis.
Fall 2019 – Specific neighborhood engagement took place as portions began to move into planning and design, continued stakeholder meetings. The Framework Plan, highlighted above, was finished, setting a foundation of key principles, intended outcomes and a roadmap for moving any or all segments forward.
Winter/Spring 2020 – We heard from engagement that the name “Chouteau Greenway” was hard to say and spell, and that it isn’t meaningful to everyone. Plus, now that the greenway extends north and south, being named for a specific east-west street is causing confusion. In Winter 2020, the community responded to a call for name ideas with nearly 1,000 submissions, which were reviewed and narrowed down by the Artists of Color Council, Steering Committee and Working Groups. The group selected their top 3 recommendations based on how unique it was to St. Louis, how well it fits with the greenway’s vision for a vibrant, diverse and inclusive future for our region, easy to say/spell/understand, and broad enough to encompass the full greenway project (not just a specific place or area). After a robust discussion, the Board selected “Brickline Greenway”. The experience of this greenway will weave you through the heart of our city – no matter which of the many neighborhoods you’re passing through, you’re sure to notice one thing: brick. From the clay mines beneath your feet, this strong, gritty and gorgeous material has literally shaped our city for hundreds of years. It’s a testament to the sturdy, self-made attitude embodied by our city and our people. The newly renamed Brickline Greenway gives visitors an idea of what they’ll see as they explore – the combination of beautiful brick and native Missouri trees and plants. It pays homage to our history and invites everyone to collaborate toward building a more connected St. Louis. Read more about the naming process (including video and toolkit) here.
Spring/Summer 2020 – Continued stakeholder engagement pivoted to virtual during the COVID-19 crisis. The team explored public and private fundraising models and began coordinating with other projects in the area to align with their schedules and opportunities to collaborate.
Fall/Winter 2020/2021 – Working groups were formed to steer the overall project (Universal Design, Equity + Economic Development) and the specific segments (CWE to Grand MetroLink Stations and Fairground Park to Grand MetroLink Station) as they move through design.
Spring/Summer 2021 – Working groups guide concept design, develop goal for Equitable Economic Development Director position, apply for federal funding, begin to design fundraising campaign. Hold first Northside Night Out community event. Central connector awarded $4 million in federal funding.
Winter 2022 – Assembling teams to work on northern connector, public art plan. Bidding out construction on first Market Street segment alongside CITYPARK Stadium construction.
2022 – Design and engagement advances on north connector, central connectors along MetroLink Corridor and Market Street to Harris-Stowe State University. Construction at CITYPARK Stadium progresses. Continued federal and private funding wins! GRG hires first Equity + Economic Impact Director.
Winter/Spring 2023 – CITYPARK Stadium section of Brickline Greenway complete and open, including Pillars of the Valley monument from Damon Davis. Design continues on other segments, as does signage and branding plan, art plan.
MISSION: Great Rivers Greenway makes the St. Louis region a more vibrant place to live, work and play by developing a network of greenways.
