![St. Louis skyline](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2026-05/AdobeStock_83742029%20St%20Louis.jpg?itok=jo78CqSZ) # De-Risking Equitable Development with 3D Spatial Technology St. Louis is using an interactive 3D digital twin to transform how residents of a historically disinvested neighborhood envision and shape their community's future, turning skepticism into accountability. May 14, 2026 [ Stephen Goldsmith ](/stephen-goldsmith) Residents of the Ville—a significant Black St. Louis neighborhood shaped by redlining, population loss and disinvestment — share a deep, not uncommon skepticism when city officials bring them big ideas promising “this time will be different.” Under Mayor Tishaura Jones, the St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC) launched the Economic Justice Accelerator in 2023 to advance neighborhood transformation. Backed by roughly $200 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, the Accelerator targets neighborhoods most affected by discriminatory practices. Work in the Ville offers a concrete example of how spatial technology can inspire communities and help skeptics or opponents better understand a project. Decades of disinvestment left the Ville hollowed out. SLDC’s land bank controls roughly 70 percent of its vacant lots. Population loss, poverty, and blight became the dominant features. Residents had seen plans come and go. They had heard promises of renewal. They had watched new investments elsewhere trigger displacement, not shared prosperity. Those who remembered the prosperous past remained understandably skeptical of proposals that didn’t resemble their memories of a thriving neighborhood. ## From Redlining Maps to Repair Maps Neal Richardson, former President of SLDC, grew up next to the Ville and observed that his family’s home barely appreciated over 30 years. South of Delmar, in majority-white neighborhoods, home values grew more than twentyfold. Richardson was dedicated to uplifting the neighborhoods that had experienced stagnation, while minimizing gentrification. SLDC’s approach consists of equal parts policy, data and visualization. The Economic Justice Action Plan provides the policy; the Economic Justice Index furnishes the data; and residents can visualize and respond with Ville’s 3D digital twin. To gather community input and support, the SLDC used a 3D digital twin that lets interested people “fly through” a future version of the neighborhood, see exactly where new homes, jobs, and sidewalks will go, and then ask: *Do we want this? Where is it wrong? When will it happen?* Richardson points to the 3D, interactive digital twin model as a way to remove “that planning fatigue and still get people inspired and committed to seeing this vision come to life.” According to SLDC GIS Analyst James Djamba, if a parcel’s status changes from “vacant lot” to “single-family home,” or from “derelict building” to “active retail,” the model adjusts heights, façades, and uses across the entire scene, and then aligns those changes with zoning and infrastructure plans. Before writing a line of code, the city team walked the neighborhood with [4theVille, a local cultural heritage organization](https://www.4theville.org/). That walk-through informed how the model treated landmarks, streetscapes, and even sightlines. The result was a virtual environment that residents immediately recognized as their own streets — not a generic or idealized version. According to design expert Devin LaVigne, “People can find themselves in 3D far more readily than they can on a 2D aerial map.” At the Blvd Dream Info Center, the 4theVille drop-in info center allows residents to view the twin on an ongoing basis. On the walls, sticky notes capture their ideas, concerns, and priorities while the model plays. The pairing is deliberate: the twin shows what could be; the notes capture what must not be forgotten. Participation and visualization help convert abstract fear into specific questions. For example, some residents expressed concern about the proposed Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center (AMIC), a large industrial project. According to Stephen Davis, SLDC VP of Strategic Partnerships, neighbors were worried “that \[the\] large industrial project wasn’t going to fit in the neighborhood and would dwarf the residential area around it.” When residents saw AMIC in the context of the 3D model—next to real houses, on real streets—many concerns shifted. The conversation moved from, ‘We don’t want a factory here’ to, ‘How will traffic be handled and what will the façade look like?’ said Davis. Map Social, a community engagement platform built on ArcGIS Online, lets residents add comments and photos directly onto 2D or 3D maps; additionally there are AI-powered tools that encode zoning ordinances and comprehensive plans so residents can ask plain-language questions, like “Can I build a restaurant here?,” “What’s allowed on this lot?,” or “Can I open a daycare on my block?” and get authoritative, map-linked answers immediately. Richardson pointed to another benefit of the model: it is obligated. By showing specific improvements in a publicly accessible model, the city set a visible benchmark that residents could hold it to. Agreeing on a development that both the city and the residents can see provides a benchmark for accountability and seeing their input reflected in the model, for example, a vacant school converted into a productive asset, builds that trust. SLDC ties incentives directly to the Economic Justice Index, a composite score that ranks areas by redlining, current vacancy and unemployment rates, and the presence of commercial corridors and community organizations. Development in higher-need neighborhoods triggers more generous abatements but also more stringent community-benefit expectations. In St. Louis, 3D spatial technology makes the hard work of community engagement more legible, tangible, and accountable, whether through in-person, ad hoc, or virtual events. For a neighborhood long asked to trust words, that ability to see—and shape—the future is no small thing. It is a reminder that in the era of digital twins and AI, the spatial argument is increasingly the policy argument. And that the cities that learn to make that argument clearly, transparently, and collaboratively will be better positioned to deliver on their promises. ## About the Author ### Stephen Goldsmith ![Headshot of Stephen Goldsmith](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_1_1__100x100_scale/public/datasmart/files/goldsmith_headshot_2018.jpg?itok=_stVEJro) Stephen Goldsmith is the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. He previously served as the mayor of Indianapolis and deputy major of New York City. [Read Professor Goldsmith's full bio here](/stephen-goldsmith). See also:- [ Artificial Intelligence ](/topics/artificial-intelligence) - [ Civic Engagement ](/topics/civic-engagement) - [ Crowdsourcing ](/topics/crowdsourcing) - [ Data Visualization ](/topics/data-visualization) - [ Equity ](/topics/equity) - [ GIS ](/topics/gis) - [ Infrastructure ](/topics/infrastructure) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)