CDA 2020-2024 Impact Report: Digital Equity Partnerships

This article first appeared in the CDA 202-2024 Impact Report (April 2025), a comprehensive look at five years of housing, community development, and neighborhood revitalization efforts in St. Louis. To learn more about CDA’s programs, investments, and impact citywide, read the full report here.

Community Wi-Fi

Bridging the Digital Divide

Access to the internet is an essential public utility in the 21st century, as vital as running water. The community Wi-Fi initiative is designed to provide free, high-quality internet access in public parks, ensuring that all St. Louis residents—regardless of income—can stay connected.

The Need

The City’s 2023 Digital Inclusion Action Plan identifies three primary barriers to digital equity: Access, Affordability & Literacy, and found that:

• 14% of St. Louis households (19,467 households) rely solely on a smartphone for internet access.

• 30% of households in North City (Wards 10–14) lack a broadband internet subscription (13,230 households).

• Free Wi-Fi in public spaces is a proven solution, following the best practices of cities like Los Angeles, Louisville, Boston, San Francisco, Kansas City, and Detroit.

City Wi-Fi in seven parks and along the MLK corridor has served over five thousand unique city residents to date.

In 2023, CDA was appropriated $5M in ARPA funds to begin implementing the Digital Inclusion Action Plan. In partnership with ITSA, SLDC, the Mayor’s Office, Streets, BPS, and Parks, we launched the Wi-Fi in the Parks initiative to address affordability and access, procured SmartWave, a national leader in municipal broadband, and completed Phase 1 in December 2024.

Demonstration map of WiFi in Tilies Park in the North Hampton neighborhood.

Phase 1 includes the MLK Corridor and 7 parks: Amberg Park, Fox Park, Gravois Park, Gregory J. Carter Park, Ivory Perry Park, Loretta Hall Park, Tilles Park.

Phase 2 is underway to expand to Tandy Park, Hyde Park, Murphy Park, O’Fallon Park, St. Louis Place Park, Norman Seay Park, Turner Park, Marquette Park, Benton Park, Jackson Place Park, De Soto Park, Fanetti Park, and Downtown St. Louis.

The network leverages city-owned fiber infrastructure, using strategically placed Wi-Fi routers and access points to create a mesh Wi-Fi network in public spaces, ensuring widespread, free access.

This investment in digital equity ensures that St. Louis residents, particularly those in underserved communities, have access to the tools and resources they need to thrive.

Help Name the City’s Free Wi-Fi Network!
The City of St. Louis is lighting up parks with free public Wi-Fi—and now we need your help naming it! A citywide naming contest will launch soon.

 

About the Community Development Administration (CDA): The CDA serves as the City of St. Louis' hub for federal, state, and local funds, implementing the Mayor's economic justice agenda. By funding public and nonprofit entities, the CDA supports a wide range of initiatives, including public services, affordable housing development, blight eradication, and other community development activities.