Full Review: MVVA Team Arch Grounds Competition Design

This is the second of five full reviews of the Framing a Modern Masterpiece: City + Arch + River design competition submissions. Each review focuses specifically at treatment of Kiener Plaza, the Old Courthouse, I-70/Memorial Drive, the Museum of Westward Expansion, the Old Cathedral, the Arch grounds north and south ends, the riverfront, cross-river connections and the east side as well as overall feasibility and overall excitement. Each of the five final design full narratives can be viewed on nextSTL here. Join the discussion in the nextSTL Forum.
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Michael VanValkenburgh and Associates (MVVA)

Kiener Plaza
This may be my least favorite redesign of Kiener Plaza. Essentially, it is a large flat plaza. I'll give kudos for explicitly including "views open onto the Wainright Building," but other than that, the design seems to best approximate a random western block of the Gateway Mall. The current plaza, though weathered, is more inviting, more welcoming.

Proposed as the "natural starting point for a visit," there's physically nothing in the Plaza to attract and keep people. It's a flat expanse that will be passed through as quickly as possible. There's something to be said for creating flexible space and this has been done, but it's also shapeless in a city that suffers from dozens of bland, shapeless city blocks.