In the summer, we introduced the proposals for The City + The Arch + The River competition that challenged designers to revive the urban fabric surrounding St. Louis’ iconic arch. The proposals offered differing views on ways to activate a park system and attract the public. We’re excited to share the news that the proposal by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and his multidisciplinary team has been selected to move forward!
Check out a cool video of MVVA’s proposal and more about the project after the break.
Tom Bradley, Superintendent of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial commented, “MVVA is an outstanding team that presented a winning combination of the ambitious and the manageable. They showed great reverence for the beauty and significance of the existing site, while suggesting improvements and attractions in line with our competition goals. We’re excited to start planning.”
The next step for MVVA is to meet with the different sponsors, such as the City of St. Louis and the National Park Service, to further develop their proposal. The team has a concrete deadline – October 28, 2015 – which marks the 50th anniversary of the completion of the Arch. In between then and now, a lot needs to be figured out in terms of finalizing the program, setting a budget, and analyzing the feasibility of different prospective ideas.
“Between now and January, we will be challenging the MVVA Team to rise to the challenge to do what’s best for the city, for the region and for this national park,” said St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay. “The Arch is a national treasure, but it is intensely personal to people in and around St Louis. We will be working with Michael and his team, with continued input from the community and the experts, on creating the best solutions for the Arch grounds and the neighboring area.”
MVVA’s proposal incorporates a network of finer-grained interventions incorporating natural science, engineering, and design into a holistic philosophy of ecological urbanism. People are in good spirits that the project will truly rejuvenate the area and compliment the city.
Dr. Vaughn Vandegrift, Chancellor of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, explained, “There is huge potential for the Illinois riverbank area and collaboration on both sides of the river. Our discussions regarding Illinois intensified and evolved even after the competition was launched. There are opportunities for the Illinois riverbank area now that didn’t exist when we gave instructions to the teams. We will work closely with the MVVA Team to evaluate what they have proposed and expand from there.”
We’ll keep you updated on this exciting project!
Source: The City Arch River Competition