By the early twentieth century people had become convinced that urban ills could be corrected by careful analysis and rational planning. Experts would study problems and both private organizations and the government would implement solutions. It was widely believed that the arrangement of the physical environment played an important role in determining the quality of people’s lives. Many of the plans and proposals from this decade involved changing the arrangement of streets, rebuilding dilapidated districts, and regulating the uses of private property. All of these strategies had important implications for the downtown area.

Explore the history of St. Louis in the 1910s by clicking on buildings in the 3-D model on the left side of the screen.