39 And Counting
It seems like yesterday when I was a young college graduate moving to St. Louis from Oklahoma City. I was 23 and so excited about St. Louis’ urban potential.
I’m still excited about the potential of the urban fabric and with the progress made so far. However, I’m less enthusiastic for the “system” to change and adapt. The system serves those in the system, so why change.
I’m growing increasingly impatient of the system and those self serving individuals that perpetuate it. I’m especially disappointed by those who claim to be progressive and then get caught up in the system, causing them to do thing just to keep their jobs (you know who you are).
Why am I increasingly impatient? Well, today is my 39th birthday.
As you might expect I’m reflecting on my life to this point and what it means to have my last year in my 30s. And I’m thinking about what life may hold for me in my 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
I crave a vibrant urban life and, today at least, I feel like time is running out. I don’t have the luxury of waiting 30-40 years for a complete light rail system in St. Louis and a substantially increased population.
I want it all.
Great urban density. Streetcars. Bike racks on every street. Elected officials unwilling to settle for some suburban drive-thru. A collective vision for St. Louis.
I want it all, now!
At 25 I could be patient. Same for 30 and even 35. My time of patience is over.
I have some goals to accomplish this last year in my 30s. I will push even harder for my vision of an urban St. Louis. I hope to influence the outcome of the 2007 aldermanic race in the even numbered wards. I hope to breakdown the ward machine in St. Louis and open up discussion on planning, design, transportation and such. And hopefully I will begin doing some modern in-fill projects throughout the city.
The more the establishment resists the more determined I will become. The fun thing is the ranks of people who share my views is growing while the numbers wishing to maintain the status quo are dropping.
I’m determined to have an urban existence in St. Louis.
– Steve
This bird turned 39 many moons ago, and turns the corner looking straight at fifty this week (now fully qualified as over the hill…).
As a non-native, I’m proud to say that I’ve clocked over a third of my many years as a St. Louisan.
And in those 16 years, the progress has been dramatic.
The next 20 – 30 will be even better.
Steve, Kathy and I are right there with you. It’s so completely frustrating to feel the tide is turning only to be punched in the stomach by the lack of vision of elected officials or some crappy “urban” infill project of vinyl boxes. I do feel our numbers are growing and I think this is an excited time to be living in the City of St. Louis. I’m only 28 though. I hope I can look back when i’m 39 and see the city live up to it’s potential.
Keep pushing and we’ll do the same.
I hear you. Some days I feel totally worn out by the fight — and I am, ahem, half Birdman’s age.
Thankfully determination can get you somewhere in St. Louis. Given your resolve, this aims to b a big year for you and for the city.
Happy Birthday Steve. I kind of have the same feeling since I will be hitting 20 on Easter. OK, so not quite the same maybe, but as I get older I feel myself pushing towards wanting thigs to happen quicker and quicker. I guess that goes with seeing St. louis at it’s very worst now making an amazing turn around in a quick amount of time.
1st off — Happy Birthday!
Much like your little reflection, I’ve been trying, as of late, to figure out what I want in life, for my kids, etc. and trying to find others that have the same ethos. I, personally, can’t persecute those who choose to contribute to Suburban sprawl and fleecing of American character, but I also can’t relate to them. Honestly, everything that we want our city to be is so close in front of us, it’s disgusting. It’s just going to take a small regime change to get a new set of powerbrokers running the system on the path that we want. It’s really not that hard. We just need to get to register more dead people than the other guys OR make some really outlandish promises and then just go back to our own self-serving agenda after the election. Simple.
Happy Birthday. I understand your frustration. But this one thing is true: Insanity = doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I know you are not insane but some of the people you deal with like urban “leaders” and such are.
I think you need to do YOUR THING. Start working on those infill buildings. Why? Because THAT is where your true talent/passion/luv comes in. You will find happiness in “building” your ideas. If your happiness depends on other peoples actions or material things you will surely be dissapointed all the time. Get it??
good luck/happy birthday/keep up the great work–God Bless
Happy birthday buddy.
And for the record, I’m right there behind you. I’m tired of waiting for an urban St. Louis and knowing that I could be too old to enjoy it by the time it exists.
I’m especially tired of SUB-urban decisions by our leaders and I’m very excited to see what you will accomplish. Don’t forget, there are a lot of us out here who share similar urban visions for our city and there is strength in numbers.
Whatever you do… thanks in large part to you andother urbanists, there is an ever growing awareness of the urbanist ideal in St. Louis. And while there’s a possibility I may be going abroad for some period of time in the future, as long as I’m here I’m up for organizing in whatever way will make a difference in the urban fabric of St. Louis and I’m sure that goes for a lot of your readers.
Good luck and happy birthday.
Steve, I’m wondering how you reconcile your passion toward urbanism and your passion with holding people accountable with being a real estate agent. There are significant morale issues associated with selling real estate, as I’ve seen and read about the protectionsim and barriers erected in an attempt to preserve the 6-7 percent commision and inflated closing costs and kick-backs associated with real estate tramsactions. I’m sure you’ve seen the corruption on many occasions, yet you take great pride in exposing any kind of other anomaly. Don’t get me wrong, I love your website and your work to improve obvious wrongs, but I really can’t understand how you don’t turn inward to expose the problems with your own profession?
[REPLY – Very good questions! Real estate is one of the many things I do. I’m also a free-lance residential designer and am pushing my services as an urban planning consultant. I have a couple of books in early stages.
So, back to your questions. I don’t earn my full living selling real estate. I don’t play the games to get tons of leads. I don’t push home warranties for the kickbacks from the warranty companies.
The real problem in looking at the real estate profession is the laws. For example, I can’t say anything negative about another agent or firm without being brought up charges by the licensing board.
I do plan to look at practices and perhaps speak in generalities. Thanks for the questions. – SLP]
Happy Birthday Steve!
I don’t blame you for weighing the time/impatience factor; it’s a reality that must be reckoned with. Though you are young, time is precious, and we should be conscious about how we spend it. Dealing with intractable institutions and maddeningly retrograde individuals can make it even harder to invest your best years in a place where change is not as welcome as it should be.
But also — do not underestimate the impact you are having. I hope you will keep making positive change for a long time. Don’t let the bastards get you down!
Speaking of age, years ago a race started on the top of my head between going gray and turning bald. At this point, the race is a draw—but I’m still ahead of Steve!
Think of it this way. You could move to San Francisco, or New York, or Chicago, or somewhere else where urbanity is an established way of life…and fade into the background.
Or you can live in St. Louis and be part of something special.
No one writes about the renaissance of a Boston or San Francisco; those places are fighting to stay on top.
In St. Louis, there’s a movement taking place, a late-inning comeback story after years of decline, a comeback that is being led by individuals and neighborhoods working together.
We are part of that.
Oh, and by the way, there was a Cardinal singing in our yard the other day. It’s getting warmer, and things are definitely looking up.
“Nobody does it better…”
First off, Happy Birthday! Second, don’t get frustrated with the apparent slooooow pace of change. It’s hard to get the voters interested in the system when they have few choices and see fewer results. Keep pushing – as others have pointed out, there’s a growing number of people out there who want to change the system, but it does take time. Get good candidates elected and good things will happen!
To expand Birdman’s warblings: Cities with higher costs of living can be very difficult places for creative thinkers to make a difference — unless those people are independently wealthy. It’s hard to have time to make a difference when you have to work all week at a bad job. In St. Louis, it’s easy to make your passions your full-time job even if you make money some other way.
I hate to bring up the St. Louis/Chicago comparison, but Chicago is way more expensive and its political system is way more inflexible than St. Louis. Chicago city politics make our aldermanic courtesy system seem progressive by comparison. The Chicago Democrats are nasty, brutish and very set in their ways, and Daley really is mayor for life (his last actively-campaigning general election opponent received 13% of the vote, as opposed to the 21% Willie Marshall got against Slay).
Happy Birthday! I am 31.. at the beginning and your at the end. Pretty interesting. Hope you enjoy the remainder of your 30s and keep plugging away at your urban passion in your 40s, 50s & beyond! I feel the same way you do about cycling here in St. Louis but I see change coming in spurts. Your help in promoting cycling is very good for cyclists and for the urban movement.
Your RFT Blog Award for 2005 should still make you feel proud. Your work is making a difference. You may not see it outwardly as much but the people who are reading know that it is making a difference with each one of us. I know I am taking Metrolink / Bus more and looking at the city with a renewed interest (and I have lived in the county for 31 yrs!). Remember the story about the guy with the star fish. He may not be able to save all of them… but he can make a difference in each one he touches!
Keep Cycling & providing Urban Prospectives!
Happy Birthday!
Birdman & Michael Allen have already made the points I would make. In St. Louis, you are part of an important movement. In those other cities, you are just another man on the subway. Well maybe not, I suspect you would never be just another man. However, that is my experience.
Which is more fun? Building a city? Or being in a city that is already built? Which intrigues you more: A neighborhood that is working its way up? Or a neighborhood that is riding comfortably on its success? Same thing for cities.
Does the challenge of St. Louis keep you going? Or are you ready to sit back and reap the rewards that already exists elsewhere? That is up to you and no answer is wrong.
Not being a wealthy person, I find the expensive, successful cities boring. That is because I cannot afford to truly participate. I am an observer. In St. Louis, I could be a participant. More than anything, that is what draws me to St. Louis.
St. Louis has a lot to gain by keeping you, so everyone is selfishly trying to convince you to keep up the good fight. I hope you do.
If you are “just another man on the subway” I am sure it would be one standing next to an orange bicycle:) Happy belated birthday, and many thanks for the wonderful outlet that you offer St. Louis and the rest of the nation as a window on our corruption/history/potential whatever… Obviously the media is not reading your commentary on a regualar basis because I am sure they would have picked up a thing or two from this site to cover. Thanks again and may you have many more years to realize the effect of your efforts.
J
Happy Birthday Steve ! With the potential influx of active, creative, energetic and fair minded individuals like yourself, STL has hope. The area is loaded with myopic, self serving and incompetent leaders who get elected due to their length of history here rather than their ability to lead and inspire. Please stay and help make it better. Thanks again and stay healthy !
Happy belated birthday old man- just kidding, that’s next year!
Personally i fell the tide turning in the faces (younger residents) and ideas of my neighbors and some of my city politcians.
I agree with everyone else that it’s gonna take a while before the urbanist ideal of the city is a reality but the more that we have a core group of likeminded folks in the offices that can effect that change the better off we will be.
Hope ya had a good one and take care
Josh
If you vote for me I will deliver. I will be about 24 when I can run for office.