Breaking the Delmar Divide

The BBC, in 2012, did a story about St. Louis, noting that Delmar Blvd “as an economic and racial dividing line in the city”.
According to the report, “The city of St Louis, Missouri, remains one of the most segregated cities in the US.”

Extending our creative placemaking efforts from the seven neighborhoods north of Delmar to include Delmar itself, creates inviting entrances to the neighborhoods to the north as well as to the Maker’s District on the south. With support from residents and businesses on both sides of Delmar, we are:

planting 1400 trees on both sides of Delmar
renovating the 13 medians from Kingshighway to DeBaliviere
calming traffic with enlivened pedestrian crossings and intersections
creating pedestrian and bicycle safe lanes.

Phase 1 Planting Trees in Tree Lawns on Both Sides of Delmar

Trees modify local climate, create shade, purify air, reduce noise pollution, slow water runoff, provide habitat to wildlife, increase property values, and improve health, both physical and mental. They also break the climate, health and property value disparity between north and south of Delmar. The tree planting along Delmar also provides an opportunity for both sides of the street to come together on a mutually beneficial project. Our goal is to plant and maintain 1400 trees on both sides of the 3.5 mile length of Delmar.

March 27, 2022 more than 50 volunteers from the comunity, Metro A&C High School, AKA and Metro met at Gallilee Baptist Church for a street cleanup of 3 blocks of Delmar while the City of St. Louis Forestry planted 102 trees in the Vandeventer Neighborhood. Thank you to Gallilee Missionary Baptist Church for hosting us, Brightside St. Louis for the tools, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Metro and Metro A&C High School volunteers for the clean up and the City of St. Louis for planting the trees. Americorps will be maintaining the tree lawns in Vandeventer Neighborhood.