Congratulations to the City of University City! University City is an inner ring “streetcar suburb” located in St. Louis County, Missouri. In summer 2022, Planning NEXT, in partnership with Ninigret Partners, was engaged to lead a new comprehensive plan for the City. On January 8, City Council voted to approve the We Make U City Comprehensive Plan, which had been unanimously adopted by the Plan Commission in December. The plan includes 112 specific recommendations to address complex issues for this community, but especially focuses on critical concerns to the community, including:
Impacts of historic segregation. Historic practices of exclusion based on race have shaped how University City has developed, including policies that have restricted where people live and the amenities and services to which they have access. The comprehensive plan was an opportunity to address these challenges and create a policy guide to address this challenge.
Addressing environmental challenges. Major flooding and storm events have impacted the city in recent decades, inundating neighborhoods, destroying property, and displacing residents. The plan includes recommendations for the physical environment in flood prone areas, and all areas vulnerable to storm damage, that recognizes that development should be generally discouraged or significantly adapted in these areas.
Incorporating regional trends. The distinctive neighborhoods, historic architecture, integrated parks, and open spaces that residents enjoy today, are products, in part, of broader forces from around the St. Louis region. Regional and national forces are also influencing the types of communities in which people want to live and transportation options that are—and are not—available. The plan recognized that University City’s future, therefore, is intrinsically linked to its ability to leverage its position in the region.
Congratulations to the Plan Commission, City Staff, and everyone who supported this project!
