East St. Louis Action Research Project (ESLARP)

A Community Assistance and Development Project guided by
Action Research, Service Learning, and Neighborhood Partnerships.


Faculty and students from the School of Architecture, the Department of Landscape Architecture, and the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, as well as several other campus units, collaborate with each other and East St. Louis neighborhood groups on highly tangible and visible projects that address the immediate and long-term needs of some of the city's most distressed communities.

Aided by the University’s instructional, research, and public service resources, ESLARP is producing results in communities where residents are mobilizing to address pressing social, economic, and environmental problems.

ESLARP partners with East St. Louis residents and community organizations on vital projects:

  • Neighborhood clean-up

  • Neighborhood development

  • Transitional housing and support for homeless

  • Community Technology Centers

  • Programs that Teach Economic Development

  • Programs offering Education and Job TrainingYear-round

  • Arts Training Program for children

  • Accessing Federal and State Grant Funding

  • Neighborhood Coalitions to address area problems

Visit the ESLARP web site to learn more or to participate in their Volunteer Outreach Weekends.
Prospective Students Side Image 1