Photo of the Week: Dream Operator’s ‘On the South Riverfront’

Dream Operator, a.k.a. Michael Allen, submitted this very cool photo of St. Louis’s south riverfront recently. The contrast between the actual view from the river and the artist’s rendering of the structures is particularly interesting; instead of the blue sky you see above, the graffitied structures are set against a grey backdrop with bleak buildings in the background.

There doesn’t seem to be much besides dreary industrial buildings in the artist’s depiction of the city, but new, innovative programs in the city are helping St. Louis become modern, greener, and more vibrant. The New Roots Urban Farm Program has brought fresh, chemical-free produce to the lower-income residents of St. Louis, increasing their health and quality of life. Revitalize St. Louis is rejuvenating the city’s physical landscape by preserving historic buildings and restoring neighborhoods.The MetroLink, St. Louis’s light rail system, has revolutionized how St. Louis’s residents get around their city.

These changes have been brightening St. Louis and making the city and even more exciting Midwestern city to live in, work in, or visit. The projects that dedicated St. Louis residents have undertaken have made St. Louis less of what the artist has shown in Michael’s picture, and more like his photo on the right, where the city is green, well-preserved, and inviting.