Open/Closed and Turning Urban: The Opportunities and Challenges of Urban Growth and Decline

Within one week of attending the Open/ Closed conference in St. Louis, I found myself at another conference, Turning Urban: Innovation in Megacities, at the University of Virginia. I often think about the connections between Charlottesville, Virginia, where I study, and St. Louis, the site of my thesis in landscape architecture.

Physically connected by I-64, the cities also share historical connections. Thomas Jefferson, Meriweather Lewis and George Rodgers Clark were born in the Charlottesville area, and their roles in westward expansion are honored in both St. Louis and Charlottesville today. In the 20th Century, each city was transformed by city plans authored by St. Louis-based firm Harland Bartholomew and Associates (HBA). In each case, “slum clearance” recommended by HBA resulted in lasting tensions surrounding the racialized landscape.

Even with these connections in mind, it seemed absurd to find myself in two conversations about urbanism in one week – one addressing the issues surrounding population decline, the other on population explosion. But as I learned about the challenges and opportunities facing growing cities, I was reminded of Michael Allen’s (Preservation Research Office) comment at Open/Closed: many parts of St. Louis today, in their vacancy, resemble St. Louis as illustrated by Compton and Dry in their 1875 Pictorial St. Louis.