Mississippi River Greenway Park
St. Louis, MO
2016
Following the River’s Lead
The Mississippi River Greenway Park Vision Plan is the second phase of a larger North Riverfront redevelopment strategy — extending the public open space created by the City Arch River project northward through the Eads Bridge to complete the connection to the North Riverfront Trail.
Client
Great Rivers Greenway & City of St. Louis
Size
21 Ac.
Acknowledgement
Work Completed by the Kanopi Gap team while Employed at LJC Design & Engineering
The 21-acre site is defined by the river. A significant portion of it lies within the floodplain — periodically inundated by the same river that makes it valuable. Rather than treat flooding as a problem to be solved, the plan uses it as a design generator. Sculpted terraces respond to varying flood elevations, creating a landscape that reads differently at different water levels. The concept of “flows” runs through every design element: overlooks, amphitheaters, accessible ramps, and seating areas all work with the topography of a landscape that is never entirely static.
The plan also ensures regional connectivity at every scale. Proximity to the East Riverfront MetroLink station makes the park accessible from across the region without a car. Boat access from the river itself opens the park to a mode of arrival that most urban parks in St. Louis cannot offer.
At its southern end, the Katherine Ward Burg Garden functions as the park’s anchor trailhead — a half-acre gateway that connects pedestrians arriving via the Eads Bridge to the larger greenway system. The Greenway Park plan completes what that garden began.
