Great Rivers Greenway named in Next City's 2012 index of people changing cities around the world

As we pursue our mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to live, our city is gaining worldwide recognition through projects like the Trestle. Yesterday, Next City, a non-profit dedicated to connecting cities and informing those who work to improve them, featured the St. Louis Trestle project on its 2012 Disruption Index. For the next two weeks, the Next City Disruption Index will feature 77 people, places and ideas from across the world that have helped improve cities this year.

The Trestle project will transform an abandoned, 1.5-mile railway spanning from Branch Street to 14th Street in the heart of St. Louis, into an innovative model of sustainability and redevelopment that everyone can enjoy. Once completed, the Trestle will be lined with native Missouri greenery and public art. It is our sincerest hope that this project will bring vigor back to its depressed neighborhood along the St. Louis Riverfront.

With transformation of the Trestle, our city will become the third in the world, along with New York City and Paris, to convert a rail trestle for public use, and the first to tie such an amenity into a comprehensive network of trails, greenways and bike paths. According to the New York Times, the High Line in New York, which inspired the St. Louis Trestle’s renovation, generated $2 billion in private investment in the first two years alone. The Trestle project stands to both spur St. Louis’ troubling economy, while also connecting St. Louis neighborhoods and communities through its inclusion in the River Ring, an interconnected system of trails, parks and greenways throughout the St. Louis region.

We are currently working hard to finalize design plans and to develop a long-term maintenance strategy for the Trestle. We hope to seek public input in late spring once plans are finalized.

For more information on the Trestle project and its role in making the St. Louis region a better place to live, visit friendsofthetrestle.org. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest project updates.