The officers, investigating a burglary call at Delmar and Kingshighway at about 10pm, saw someone run from the back of a building and get into a black-over-red Ford Thunderbird in the alley.

When they ordered the men in the car to stop, the driver hit the gas pedal.

None of the officers were hurt. It’s not known if anyone it the car was hit.

I came across a BBC video that explores this issue in a Saint Louis neighborhood called The Loop. Please check it out here. This video explores how one street can divide two demographics so intensely. I couldn’t help but share it because I spent four years living right next to the street in question while studying architecture at Washington University in Saint Louis. On one side is a predominately affluent, white neighborhood, with gorgeous stately homes and the home of a top 12 university. On the other, is what can be described most simply as the ghetto.

Restoring the Delmar Loop, Circa 1935. (http://lh5.ggpht.com/_uFo00Smcjak/TEdxDQ-kh_I/AAAAAAAANwY/vmMxzqt62Vk/loop%20trolley%20west%20loop_slim.jpg)

I was surprised that the video didn’t touch upon the total revitalization of Delmar Boulevard, or The Loop as it is known. The 5 block stretch of this area acts as the retail and entertainment heart for both sectors of society. Here you can see people of all eccentricities and identities having fun harmoniously. In 2007 the American Planning Association recognized it as “One of the 10 Great Streets in America.” (Read about it here.)

I spent many weekends at Blueberry Hill, where Chuck Berry still to this day performs his trademark duckwalk monthly. I also witnessed the younger generation performer Nelly, film his music video on Delmar. With the lyrics “I’m from the Loop and I’m proud” there is no doubt that the street plays a part in everyone’s self-identification. Having said that, as students we were told never to cross Delmar Boulevard. As a result, embarrassingly, I rarely experienced and witnessed some of the conditions documented in this video.

The famous St. Louis institution and home to Chuck Berry, Blueberry Hill, attracts a diverse demographic and generates lots of activity in the public realm. (http://cache.virtualtourist.com/15/2056706-In_Front_of_Blueberry_Hill_Saint_Louis.jpg)

Delmar Boulevard got the nickname “The Loop” from the now-retired streetcar route. The turn-around point right at end of this part of the street, gave it its name. By the 1930s, the Loop was booming with retail, entertainment, offices and apartments. It was accessible and popular with many St. Louisans. Like so many main streets across America it suffered from the suburban mall movement, and by the time the streetcar system was terminated in the 1960s it was deserted and dilapidated. Luckily for all of us, the city had enough sense to preserve the historic character of the area, including the store-fronts and instill zoning changes that required all then-future ground-floor vacancies to be filled by commercial uses.

Enter the entrepreneur, Joe Edwards, in 1972. There is no greater story of one individual having more effect in one neighborhood. He in himself is a success story. His is well-known in St. Louis and there is no doubt his passion, commitment, and business savvy made The Loop’s regeneration happen. He opened Blueberry Hill when few healthy businesses existed on the street, and set up a Business Improvement District (BID), that funneled money into the streetscape and public realm. He opened more unique businesses such as an old-style bowling lounge, a concert-venue, and restored independent movie theater. He also funded the St. Louis Walk of Fame, which placed stars in the pavement for famous St. Louisans. He is now instrumental in bringing the street trolley back to Delmar, which will connect the entertainment district with Forest Park and the museum district.

Joe Edwards’ crowning achievements in addition to Blueberry Hill: The restored Tivoli Theater, The Saint Louis Walk of Fame, The Pin-Up Bowl, and The Pageant music venue.

(Source)(Source)(Source)(Source)

The main point of me telling you this story, is that Delmar Boulevard has achieved an extremely high level of urban design. It is walkable, overlooked, has an active public realm, and a strong economic presence in the area. The light-rail system, MetroLink, connects the area with the rest of the city. The street network on each side is well-connected, creating a grid that allows multiple connections into this thriving part of town. The eccentricity and affordability of the businesses and corridor identity is all-inclusive and welcoming to all.

Yet, still, it is segregated. Just as the video shows, the surrounding context north of Delmar continues to suffer from poor education, employment, crime, and drug use. As an urban designer, we have to realize that in some situations that improving physical conditions can only go so far, and social and political interventions are required. It is up to the city and community groups to give these people the training and education that can help to start improve people’s lives who have long suffered. Of course, this takes time. And I would bet my bottom dollar that if given the right support, The Loop and its surrounding neighborhoods would improve faster than other parts of the city that aren’t able to tap into such a thriving and strong heart, serving as a foundation for so many people’s self-identity.

People might then ask, “well what’s the point of urban design, if it can’t create change?” Well, we already know that it creates an enormous amount of change and any resident of the area will tell you that Joe Edwards and the Loop’s revitalization has had an effect on people’s self-identity and quality of life. What this example does show, is that there is a limit to what urban design can achieve, especially those that are the most severe situations.

http://visittheloop.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/images/loop_photos/images/DelmarStreet.jpg

The vote, 6-to-1, with Michael Glickert the lone dissenter.

“The point is not do we need a new fire station,” former council member Elsie Glickert said. “It’s the location that is proposed.

The land, at Vernon and Westgate Avenues, was donated by Washington University, but Glickert and others argued that just because it’s free doesn’t meant the city should accept.

“The people who live in the neighborhood will forget what a good night’s sleep is. Blaring sirens at two in the morning will see to that,” Tom Sullivan said, also expressing concerns about the new location making emergency response times longer.

“I live down the street from a firehouse and I don’t even hear the engine,” Ernestine Bolton, the mother of a firefighter, told council members in response.

Beyond the land donation, a $2,612,197 federal grant will pay for the bulk of the construction costs, leaving the city with a  tab of $674,494.

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But enough tangents — let me tell you about the highlights of Saturday’s (Dec. 6) Holiday Walk. It seems that nearly all the 140 businesses along the stretch are having some giveaway or contest or special discounts from noon to 6 p.m., but here are a few highlights:

The Tivoli Theatre is showing an hour of family film shorts at 11 a.m. Admission is a nonperishable food item, which will be donated to Operation Food Search.

Frosty the Snowman is posing for pictures at Blueberry Hill from 1 to 3 p.m.  There’s no cost with your own camera, a $2 fee with theirs.

From noon to 3 p.m. you can take a trolley tour of The Loop (and if you’ve kept up on current events, you know that trolley service is a longstanding quest for The Loop’s visionary, Joe Edwards). I don’t have details on the location yet (I’ll let you know what I hear back from organizers), but I would assume you can’t go wrong by looking near the trolley car … I now have the details from the organizers:  The free rides are indeed near the trolley car’s permanent station; they leave from the Commerce Bank parking lot, 6630 Delmar Blvd.

For details on the discounts and all the hot chocolate and cookies locations, visit the homepage.