Vacancy in the city of St. Louis has an unparalleled effect on marginalized black communities. Property values see an intense decline and neighborhood resources are pushed to their limit maintaining these vacant lots. Simultaneously the tax revenue and social services diminish for neighborhoods in north city, deepening the wound of systemic racism. Residents seek alternative routes to combat hypervacancy, placing the burden on those that have been excluded from the narrative rather than approaching vacancy as a collective problem. This paper examines what St. Louis has done thus far to reduce the 25,000 vacant lots in the city and the 12,000 in the Land Reutilization Authority’s land bank. This capstone research paper will incorporate a case study of St. Louis, in-depth analysis from personal interviews, and research gathered by local organizations.

Dana Malkus was an influential person for the capstone project as she shed light on the various aspects of vacancy and made Sophie think critically about the issues she was learning more about. Dana also helped connect Sophie to community leaders in the area that were heavily involved in the Vacancy Collaborative work and provided further research to look at. Lastly, Dana influenced Sophie's work explaining how there are tangible solutions beyond the ones already in place, pushing her to think about vacancy as a big picture issue that will continue to shape the city of St. Louis for decades to come.