Typical smaller interior lots are for single family houses. The center of the block is intended for defensible play space for small children. Detail views of each house and corresponding text may be found by clicking here and selecting the type of house from the menu. All of the houses face the streets they front. Porches provide semi-private space to view activities of the street.
New housing is designed to blend into the existing neighborhood fabric.
If they appear to be of the same kind and quality of the neighborhood's architectural vernacular, there is no stigma attatched to this new housing. The intergenerational house is a concept supported by Emerson Park residents because it meets the needs of many families in the neighborhood. In this type of house, a single working mother could leave her young pre-school children in the care of her parents in the adjacent dwelling unit. In 1995, Emerson Park residents learned that the city was considering two alternative routes for the eastward extension of the light rail system connecting East St. Louis with St. Louis, Missouri. One alternative route through Emerson Park was favored by residents because of the potential for economic development.