Inclusion and Exclusion in Establishing the Delmar Loop Transit-Oriented Development Site

Abstract

This research uses St. Louis, Missouri’s proposed Delmar Loop Transit-oriented development (TOD) site as a case study to identify how private interests overshadow overall inclusivity within a TOD space. Through content analysis and interviews, I reveal how establishing the TOD site aims to expand the existing entertainment district, but excludes the site’s predominately black and more transit-dependent West End neighborhood in TOD planning activities. Recognizing how different spaces and residents are excluded in ongoing TOD planning processes aims to highlight the spaces and residents most at risk for future displacement—pointing planners to areas of needed interventions.