This professional report examines the intersection of urban design and social equity through an analysis of hostile road design and neighborhood fragmentation in St. Louis. It situates these patterns within a broader Rust Belt context, comparing them to cities that have experienced similar histories of disinvestment and infrastructural division. For example, Cleveland has leveraged strong arts networks and placemaking collectives to counteract fragmentation and displacement. By transforming hostile or exclusionary architecture into interactive “third spaces” through coordinated nonprofit-led placemaking initiatives, Cleveland offers a replicable framework. This report argues that St. Louis can draw from Cleveland’s model by incentivizing investment in nonprofit organizations as a strategy to reconnect neighborhoods, foster social interaction, and advance more equitable urban revitalization.