1917 City Plan St. Louis was a fast growing city in the early 1900s, and “for more than a century, the industry, the population and the size …show more content…
Louis was dealing with at the time of the 1917 plan was the growth of factories and industry in the area (Bartholomew 1917, xviii). This growth in factories led to air pollution, and gave reason for residents of St. Louis city to move to the outer regions of St. Louis County (Bartholomew 1917, xviii). The move of city residents caused areas within the city to become abandoned, and caused a detrimental decrease in the depreciation of property values (Bartholomew 1917, xviii). Harland Bartholomew highlighted the following issues as the “principal problems of St. Louis” (Bartholomew 1917, xviii):
(1) Restoration of districts wherein values and occupancy are at a low ebb to a greater degree of usefulness and productivity.
(2) Perfection of transportation and transit systems to make possible the use of property within the zone of the city’s influence, now accessible.
(3) Extension of the city limits, or power of the city, to secure greater uniformity and permanency of …show more content…
Louis included “the adoption of a well-defined policy of differentiation in width of street, of roadway and character of paving” (Bartholomew 1917, 6). In addition, increasing the width of streets in the business district and residential areas to lessen the influx and backup of traffic coming into and out of St. Louis (Bartholomew 1917, 6). A decline in river traffic caused Bartholomew to create a plan to renovate the riverfront in St. Louis. Renovation of the riverfront included: fixing the unstable levee, creating river terminals and clearing “aged warehouses and other buildings, saloons and remnants of bygone days” (Cultural Resources Office and Bartholomew 1917,