The Framework, formally introduced on June 25, 1997, reflects some of Saint Paul's very best characteristics: imagination, creativity, collaboration, determination and a commitment to community involvement.  Back then, it also reflected a sea change in how Saint Paul thought about its riverfront.

As a city born because of the river, Saint Paul followed a fairly traditional developmental course for its first 150 years. From the river sprung a powerful shipping industry, which spurred growth of railroads along the river's edge and a growing web of roads that connected a bustling river city to the rest of a young nation. Industry followed, with manufacturers locating along the river to take full advantage of its ability to move goods and products. And so it went for many decades - a river thought of by city leaders, business interests and the community as means of transport and, unfortunately, as a place to dispose of a variety of unwanted materials.

By the mid 1970s, the "industrial glacier" covering many of our nation's older urban centers was beginning to recede. New, tougher environmental regulations were introduced, water quality began to improve on the Mississippi and other rivers, and cities like Saint Paul started thinking about lost connections to their waterfronts.

It took another twenty years for riverfront revitalization to really take hold. In 1997, the completion of the Saint Paul on the Mississippi Development Framework was the result several years of work and citizen input - offering a clearly defined, community-driven vision for a revitalized river.  Authored by the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation,  the Capital City Partnership, the City of Saint Paul, the Saint Paul Port Authority and the West Side Citizens Organization, the Framework vision represented a major shift in that it balanced the unique ecological features of one of the world's greatest rivers with its traditional role as a working river. Instead of ignoring the Mississippi's natural amenities, the Framework valued them as a catalyst for economic development.

Over the past decade, the Framework has guided more than $1 billion of investment along Saint Paul's riverfront. It has guided ten years of urban planning in Saint Paul and its founding principles are incorporated into the City's Comprehensive Plan. It is as fresh and relevant today as it was ten years ago. In fact, the Framework is currently serving as a model for Central Corridor Light Rail and Ford Plant redevelopment planning efforts.  

Today, the Framework continues to evolve with the release of a new chapter - The National Great River Park. The Great River Park concept will guide the next phase of riverfront rebirth along Saint Paul's entire 17-mile stretch of Mississippi. It will help prioritize investments and position our run of Mississippi River as a regional asset of national significance. It will integrate the river valley's natural resources and recreational amenities with community and economic development opportunities in adjacent neighborhoods. And it will help us reconnect to the river - the very reason Saint Paul began.

From everyone at the Riverfront Corporation, thank you for your ongoing interest in helping Saint Paul realize its full potential as a vibrant urban center connected to a healthy Mississippi River.