The Challenge in Developing Our Potential Southside Greenway Plan
For nearly 100 years our City political and business leaders have attempted to plan and develop Saint Petersburg into a safe, healthy, and economically vibrant place to live. Over these past years with our ever-expanding knowledge, residents now want and deserve even more from our City.
In the 1960’s, Congress having passed the Federal 1964 Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 was passed to end the discriminatory practice of the redlining our poorer communities. Banks and mortgage companies would suppress minority populations from receiving home loans to buy homes in other neighborhoods as well as to deny them the funds to improve their current homes.
In 1970’s, we then also became more acutely aware of the importance of our City’s physical assets to the environmental quality of our lives. By the 21st Century, our further expanding awareness, sensitivities, and attention have now begun to properly include a vision of social, health, and environmental justice. [Sharing this vision, the City is now integrating sustainability and resiliency into its planning and decision-making process to better promote future growth with the proper sensitivities towards environmental, economic, and social challenges.] (P 1 Highlights: Integrated Sustainability Action Plan, April 2014)
When our spontaneous grassroots assemblage of mutli-racial and mutli-generational Southsider's attempted to review nearly 100 years of planning efforts beginning with John Nolen's 1923 proposed urban plan rejected by the pressures of Jim Crowism, real estate developers, and a corrupt newspaper, what we found, including some excellent recent ones, RESEMBLED....
But Look What Else We Found in the Pile!
The Pinellas Trail & the Skyway Trail
The old North Bay Trail & the South Bay Bike Trail starting at the Demens Landing
Complete Street Plans for bikeways connecting our wonderful parks, schools, & social service providers
A Warehouse Arts District/Deuces Live Joint Action Plan
The proposed I-Mix Community Bridge project connecting to the established Deuces Live Main Street project
A new St. Pete Pier & Park
Our internationally renowned museums & newly committed new Woodson African American Museum
A vast collection of culinary, arts, & unique shopping venues
Our Potential Solution
Using the best existing City & Forward Pinellas plans in combination with some new existing ones on the horizon including a few of our own developed with help from the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the League of American Bicyclists, we have created the newly integrated concept of the Southside Greenway. With corporate sponsorships, we envision combining the healthy physical activity of biking on the Southside Greenway linked with our City schools and many other varied educational enhancement opportunities into our….
HealthyStartBikeTrekks MuseumBikeTrekksArtGalleryBikeTrekks ECOBikeTrekks HertiageBikeTrekks STEAMBikeTrekks
These newly connected FUN & HEALTHY pedestrian-biking, hiking, walking, paddling, and other outdoor activities for our ALL City residents and our visitors when connected directly with our exciting URBAN ASSETS will then help the City to develop our new economic driver...
An International Urban Ecotourism Brand
AND
A New Found Respect for Southside Saint Petersburg!
Clicking on the below key items like schools, parks, museums, galleries social service & healthcare providers will demonstrate how safe, economical, and very mobile transportation can be achieved.
