St. Louis Endeavors To Build A Park System Like Ours
The Great Rivers Greenway District is set to break ground today on a four-mile trail along the River Des Peres in St. Louis. The family-friendly biking and walking trail will be one of dozens of green areas that eventually will form a "River Ring" around St. Louis.
"The River Des Peres project is symbolic of what we're going to do," said David Fisher, executive director of the agency, formerly known as the Metropolitan Park and Recreation District. "Someday, people in St. Louis will identify themselves with this. . . . The rivers define the region."
The park district's plans call for developing a string of "greenways" throughout the region. The greenways consist of trails, parks and on-street bicycle routes, sprinkled with picnic spots, boating facilities, wildlife areas and open space.
Eventually, people could walk or ride bicycles to work or neighborhood attractions or pedal from Missouri to Illinois and back again, all on leafy, safe pathways.
If the plan works, St. Louisans will enjoy a network of park land comparable to the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis or the Emerald Necklace in Boston.