I work in Midtown and some of the square holes in the sidewalk don't have trees like the other holes do. I want to know how to go about getting some trees in there. Who do I talk to about getting permission? I have other ideas to improve the area, too.

1) Locust Street could use more public art like The Grove, i.e. murals on buildings and fire hydrants. I also thought some other things might be cool like painting Ninja Turtles on sewer lids, cool crosswalks like the ones they had during Pride, or getting something like this out there:



http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html? ... &t=1088252

2) In Seattle, I remember them replacing the meters on a street with bike lanes, and business increased by about 70% along the corridor. Might we be able to do this in Midtown somewhere? Or anywhere in St. Louis?

This idea would require a lot more money and a building owner's permission, but something like this would really draw people:



...Especially if it actually played some music.

What are some cool things you have seen in other cities like these? I'm thinking a lot of small things, particularly art-related, mostly. These are good ways to really make the St. Louis experience more interesting and memorable. I especially think Olive, Locust, and Washington in Midtown could really use some spicing up.

The missing trees is a problem throughout the city... I've seen multiple people fall in the left-behind hole near Bobby's Place on Wash Ave. But to answer your question, I spoke with the Partnership and the Streets Dept who explained that the Arch grounds improvements will require removing ~300 trees. Those trees must be replaced, and the plan was to start by filling all the "holes" around the city.

Gateway City wrote:I work in Midtown and some of the square holes in the sidewalk don't have trees like the other holes do. I want to know how to go about getting some trees in there. Who do I talk to about getting permission?

Do you know who the alderman is for that particular area? Sometimes the alderman will have money set aside to pay for street trees on a first-come first-serve basis, you just have to contact the Forestry Department. I know that's how it works in the 17th ward anyway.

The harder part is getting someone to actually take care of the trees. Forestry will put them in but they won't come by to water them during drought or excessive heat, and young trees are especially vulnerable. Maybe the local businesses or a community group could commit to maintaining the trees while they are young?

Gateway City wrote: What are some cool things you have seen in other cities like these? I'm thinking a lot of small things, particularly art-related, mostly. These are good ways to really make the St. Louis experience more interesting and memorable. I especially think Olive, Locust, and Washington in Midtown could really use some spicing up.

Maybe the Civil Courts building could be the canvas for 3D projection mapping viewed from CityGarden. Or the OPO viewed from OPO Plaza.

dweebe wrote:Have they changed the minds/learned their lessons and stopped with the stupid Bradford Pear trees? Yes, they grow fast and are cheap: but a 30mph wind can take limbs off or the whole tree down.

According to their most recent document, they still offer Bradford (aka Callery) Pears. For those looking for yet another reason to avoid them, they are also considered invasive in Missouri.

I like the 3-D idea on the civil courts building. Or what about the side of the silos next to IKEA? That could be incredible.
Also, what happened to huge murals downtown or elsewhere on the blank sides of buildings? There are so many options for this. Anyone remember the image of Lindbergh downtown?
Also, what about following in hotel Ignacio's lead and bring back the rooftop neon signs? Why did the fox theater take theirs down instead of restoring it?!

They did a 3-D show to promote a new Marvel thing in London:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picture ... me=3038555

dweebe wrote:Bradford pear trees are about as fragile as Sam Bradford.

Yes, planting the former on your lawn is as bad of an idea as a football team pinning its hopes on and planning its offense around the latter.

I definitely hear what you're saying onecity but I still think the Dutchtown pic looks pretty cool and a decent place to live. That second house from the left always gets me. Also, it looks like there's way less room for trees on that sidewalk, right? Or might just be the angle.

Property owners need to request a street tree be planted. So many blocks would look so much better if they had them. They're free just ask and get on the list. The hard part is getting someone to ask.

Image

Dutchtown, ten minutes later with step & repeat trees and bushes.

Nice. Now just add some ground-level landscaping - rain gardens, etc, in place of the grass - and teach people that brick can in actuality be complimented by paint colors that are not white or green, and you have a really nice looking block.

Who's gonna spring for mulch?

For those who don't know, mulch is free to city residents (County residents, that's not you!).

City residents get it for free thanks to our awesome yard waste dumpster program.

Sadly, often, it's County residents showing up at city recycle centers, grabbing free mulch, then driving around and selling it to clueless homeowners.

Reminds me of the time a County resident took issue with city residents debating planning priorities for city parks.

Yeah, this is one weird region we have, folks. Real weird.

I don't think anyone has mentioned that you can contact Forestry and suggest tree placement for your neighbors' (or conceivably anyone's) empty tree lawn. I did that last fall and they planted one next door over the winter. My neighbor was excited but wasn't going to take care of it because "it's the city's problem." So I water it during dry spells.

Between the hack pruning jobs, mulch volcanoes (where the city actually mulches), and resident indifference it's a wonder half the trees survive. Not to mention the guy I saw chopping down a ~15 year old maple with a hatchet a few weeks ago in broad daylight...