Many of the small and tightly knit ethnic communities that once dotted virtually every U.S. city have crumbled under the planner's rezoning and renewal schemes and the bulldozer's giant blade. One community that has successfully resisted the encroachment of urbanization is "the Hill," a 56-block, largely Italian area on the south side of St. Louis, where Yogi Berra and Joe Garagiola grew up. After a series of fierce, emotion-charged struggles with local, state and federal officials, Hill residents now boast a model community that has the lowest crime rate and the highest property...
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