On the southside, the development pattern becomes increasingly single-family as one travels west from the riverfront. However, this same area has blocks of large single-family houses on private streets. These include hospitals, government facilites, non-profit agency headquarters, the Cathedral of St. Louis, St. Louis University, and Washington University Medical Center. On the Southside, the Missouri Botanical Garden is the most prominent institution. Also on the Southside are Alexian Brothers Hospital and Lutheran Hospital.
Forest Park is the largest park, and is even larger than Central Park in New York City.
Forest Park includes major institutions within its area, as well as recreational spaces like the Aviation Field ballfields and Eisenhower and Triple-A golf courses, and passive use areas including the John F. Kennedy Forest and the Jewel Box floral conservatory. Over 100 smaller parks and playgrounds serve neighborhoods. In downtown, the Gateway Mall and the Archgrounds constitute a substantial, albeit underutilized greenspace. The largest cemeteries in the city are Calvary and Bellefontaine, located on the Mississippi bluffs between Walnut Park and Baden. Several smaller cemeteries are located along Gravois Avenue in the extreme southwestern part of the city.