Saint Louis CitySide St. Louis Front Page presents St. Louis CitySide, an overview of the City Government of Saint Louis. From time to time, we will take an indepth look at many of the projects in which the city is involved and how these projects will affect residents and visitors. ARCHIVED NEWS McKinley Bridge Bikeway and Branch Street Trestle Add Vital New Connection for St. Louis Region Construction Begins on St. Louis Transportation Hub 100 Black Men of Metropolitan St. Louis Break Ground on New Headquarters St. Louis Fire Department Honors Its First African-American Chief Officer and Fire Marshall MoDOT Clarifies Road Construction on New I/64 Project St. Louisans Celebrate the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Justice Center in Downtown St. Louis to Help Victims of Domestic Violence Soldier's Memorial Plans to Better Serve and Honor Veterans St. Louis Riverfront Plan - If You Dream It, Can You Build It? St. Louis Great Fire Engine Rally Honors Firefighters Development of Riverfront Moves Forward With Arch Grounds Connector St. Louis News Community Info St. Louis Job News St. Louis CitySide Business News St. Charles News Southwest, IL News Art Gallery News Hotel News Restaurant News Style St. Louis Not Just For Kids   Downtown Map America's Center Busch Stadium Gateway Arch Savvis Center Laclede's Landing Old Courthouse Union Station Washington Avenue   Metropolitan Map Casinos Clayton, MO Grand Center Grant's Farm Forest Park Kimmswick, MO MO Botanical Garden Soulard St. Charles, MO West Port Plaza Transportation Lambert Airport

The World Leadership Forum honored St. Louis for having reversed trends, shaken off traditional images and acted as an example and inspiration to others for its urban revitalization efforts downtown and in neighborhoods throughout the city. St. Louis Recognized for Urban Renewal Success ST. LOUIS, (SLFP.com), December 10, 2006 - In another acknowledgement of the ongoing revitalization of St. Louis, the World Leadership Forum honored St. Louis with its coveted worldwide award for urban renewal during a ceremony, Wednesday, December 6, in London. More than 400 communities around the globe competed in the World Leadership Forum's annual award program; the judges selected St. Louis over other Urban Renewal category finalists Manchester, England; Calcutta, India; and Kansas City. The Urban Renewal award recognizes exceptional leadership in transforming problematical urban settings into models of positive renewal. "Everyone in St. Louis should be proud," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said from London where he accepted the award on the city's behalf. "This honor recognizes the vision and hard work of the many people who are making St. Louis a great city." The World Leadership Forum is a not-for-profit organization that promotes leadership internationally by spotlighting the work of exceptional leaders and achievers, focusing on the areas of science, technology, education, communication and the arts. U.S. Sen. John McCain was presented with the "Policymaker of the Year" award Wednesday, and in April the Forum honored the world's top business and financial journalists, including Peter Elkind of Fortune and Bill Emmott of The Economist. This is the second prominent award that St. Louis has received this year for its urban renewal efforts. In March, the city received the National Entrepreneurial American Leadership Award from Partners for Livable Communities, a national, nonprofit organization working to restore and renew communities throughout the country. "The center city has become a crown jewel, but the entire city -- and to a great extent the region as a whole -- is experiencing revitalization and resurgence," said Dick Fleming, president and CEO of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. "This award is an acknowledgement of St. Louis' high quality of life, our broadly skilled, highly productive work force, and our business-friendly environment." While St. Louis' original downtown renewal plan, approved in 1999, called for $1.2 billion in public and private investment by 2006, nearly $4 billion already has been invested. As part of the revitalization, local and national investors and developers are restoring St. Louis' large, handsome inventory of 19th and early 20th century commercial and industrial buildings, which now house a vibrant community of restaurants, shops, apartments and lofts. The city and area organizations have worked together to direct the rising tide of investment to shape St. Louis' new center city into an optimal space. Between 2000 and 2005, downtown St. Louis added 1,594 residential units, nearly all of them lofts. This year, downtown has nearly doubled that number with another 1,392 lofts. And in 2007, another 1,410 are scheduled to come on the market, for a tripling in two years. In a statement, Missouri Governor Matt Blunt said, "I want to congratulate St. Louis on their international recognition regarding improvements the city has undertaken to enhance the quality of life for its residents. St. Louis is a great community, with a blossoming international presence and marvelous potential. The citizens of St. Louis should be proud of this special and well-deserved recognition." In addition to downtown, neighborhoods throughout the city are benefiting from similar renewal and urban revitalization efforts. After five decades of decline, the city's population has increased in each of the past three years. Saint Louis Front Page is owned and maintained by the Moore Design Group for the sole purpose of disseminating news and information about the Metropolitan Saint Louis area. Text or graphics may not be copied, rewritten or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission. For more information, contact editor@slfp.com All rights reserved world wide © 1996 - 2008 Moore Design Group .

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