PREMISES

I.   Our way of life is now under threat from the unpredictable and disruptive patterns caused by a global climate emergency. This means that unprecedented measures are required to retrofit our built environment in ways that help maintain human habitats and promote ecological equilibriums in our urban centers. Under-served communities, like those on the eastern side of the Mississippi River, are especially vulnerable to threats from environmental contamination and flooding.

Governments at all levels must immediately 1) invest in large-scale projects to increase the utility of landscapes whenever possible, 2) strategically transition privately-held land to the public realm where critical infrastructures can mitigate extreme weather events, and 3) enact public policies that promote the long-term survivability of all living species. Workshop proposals will respond to the urgent nature of the crisis and the scope/scale of necessary projects.

II. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO, once known as The Jefferson Memorial of Westward Expansion, was built to valorize the idea of Manifest Destiny. It is one of several high-profile monuments in the United States built during the 20th century to perpetuate a favorable version of U.S. history, accounts known collectively as the “American Myth.” The Arch is not universally representative of all people and alienates some populations, ignores some traditions, and connotes a narrative that runs counter to the lived experience of many citizens, including local under-served and under-represented populations. The workshop site has been selected for design proposals that offer contributions to more inclusive and factual counter-narratives.

III.  Master Plan projects often focus on an analysis of a forlorn site and a future vision of that site ideally transformed. Rarely does a master plan include the struggles, revelations, and transformative impacts that occur as the plan is painstakingly realized.

Storytelling will be used in this workshop 1) as a means of embellishing and explicating the process of implementing the design proposals, and 2) to recognize events and lived experiences that are not part of the traditional “American Story.” A set of invented narratives will foreground the process of site transition, including the quasi-fictional stories of inhabitants, project players, future visitors, and the varied circumstances that in turn hasten and hinder the development of the corridor.

SITE DESCRIPTION

The workshop site is the flood-prone eastern bank of the Mississippi River, just across from Gateway Arch National Park. Agribusiness ports and energy facilities still operate within the mostly post-industrial territory, which is traversed by regional rail and highway infrastructure.  Projects will consider communities beyond the site, including Cahokia, Sauget, East St. Louis, National City, Brooklyn, Venice, Madison, and Granite City. Precise limits of the corridor project site will be established as warranted by individual proposals. The site outlined in the initial image is a minimum standard.