City Plan Commission

Throughout the 20th century, city planners often sought to solve the problems of the modern city through manipulation of the built environment, leading to drastic changes in the urban landscape. The St. Louis City Plan Commission, led by Harland Bartholomew, was the dominant force in St. Louis city planning throughout much of this period and exemplified this school of thought. The City Plan Commission grew from the work of the St. Louis Civic League, which published “A City Plan for St. Louis” in 1907. This plan was one of the first comprehensive city plans in the nation and presented an overall strategic vision to guide the growth and development of St. Louis. Many of the proposals the plan presented were taken up by the City Plan Commission, which was established by ordinance in 1911.

Bartholomew, who became the one of the nation’s most prominent city planners, was brought to St. Louis in 1916 and served as Chief Engineer of the City Plan Commission until 1950. The Commission’s work during the 1920s and 1930s reflected the proposals laid out in the 1907 Comprehensive Plan, as well as Bartholomew’s own ideas about land use and urban development. These projects included the widening and extension of major streets; creation of strict zoning districts; construction of a Civic Center across from City Hall; development of an extensive park and parkway system; improvement of the riverfront; and control of the River des Peres.

In 1947, the City Plan Commission issued a new Comprehensive City Plan. The plan’s most notable proposals called for slum clearance and urban renewal in areas designated obsolete and blighted; construction of interstates and expressways connecting the central business district with the expanding suburbs; and revisions and updates to the zoning code. This plan served as a starting point for many of the post-war urban renewal and development projects undertaken in St. Louis.

St. Louis Housing Authority and Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority

The Housing Authority and Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA) were instrumental in implementing post-war urban renewal, particularly in the form of large-scale slum clearance projects. These projects took areas or neighborhoods declared obsolete, such as Mill Creek Valley and Desoto Carr, and demolished them in their entirety in order to rebuild with new industry, commerce, and housing projects.

In 1963, the Authorities created a joint Human Resources Division to provide social and recreational activities, as well as needed services, to low-income residents of the housing projects and urban renewal areas. Programming and activities coordinated through the division included Missouri University Extension classes on home management; Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops; resident councils; athletic teams; day care centers and pre-school programs; holiday parties; medical care, including X-ray programs and mobile dental clinics; educational opportunities; job training; and neighborhood improvement programs. The Human Resources Division also published the “Housing Digest” for residents of public housing and “West End Horizons” for residents in the West End urban renewal area.

Community Development Agency

In 1974, the City Plan Commission was merged with the Model City Agency, Municipal Business Development Commission, and the Beautification Commission to form the Community Development Agency (CDA). The CDA took on the functions of the four merged agencies, in addition to administering the new federal block grants for housing and urban development.

In the early 1970s, the City Plan Commission had begun work on a new Comprehensive Plan, and this work was continued by the CDA. A draft of the plan was released for citizen review in 1975 by the Community Development Commission, the board in charge of overseeing the CDA. Prior to the publication and adoption of a finalized plan, Team Four consultants were brought in to advise on public policy guidelines and strategies for implementing proposals in the draft plan. However, these recommendations proved controversial, particularly a recommendation to focus resources on neighborhoods that could still be rehabilitated, while allowing neighborhoods deemed past the point of rehabilitation to be starved of resources and continue to decline. A formal plan was never published, and the 1947 plan remains the last comprehensive plan formally adopted by the city.