Fragmentation May Stall Urbanization of the St. Louis Region

‘Urbanization’ means different things to different people. In the broader sense it means the development of formerly undeveloped land – Going from rural/agriculture to suburban/urban. In another way it can mean going from what Christopher B. Leinberger calls “drivable suburbanism” to “walkable urbanism.” In the coming decades I think we will see less of the former and more of the latter.

For those of you in the St. Louis region, don’t think of it as county vs. city. Our situation of having the boundaries of the City of St. Louis held in place by the Missouri Constitution since 1876 is highly unique. Think of it more as drivable vs. walkable. That totally ignores municipal & county boundary lines.

The coming 50-60 years will be very different than the past 50-60 years. As population in metropolitan areas increases this population will increasingly locate not in new edge sprawl in “greenfield” development but in areas that are already “urbanized.” Think about it – regions like St Louis cannot continue consuming land at the periphery as has happened over the last half century. We have reached the point where any further out is just too far.

I love the countryside and rural America and I want it to stay that way.

After my “End of Suburbia” post in June and my “The St. Louis Region Over the Next 50 Years” post in July I lost a potential advertiser that didn’t want to be seen supporting my site if I was making such proclamations about impending doom on the fringe. His clients, mostly builders on the edge, don’t want to hear about the “end of suburbia” because that is all they know.

‘Urbanization’ will shift from being the consumption of farm land to the conversion of non-walkable areas into denser walkable areas. I hope I make it to 2050 because I want to see the change. But it is up to us today to guide and direct the change.

St Louis City may always be separate from St Louis County. Changing the Missouri Constitution to put the city back inside the county seems a tall order. It may not even be the best route to take. St Louis County has “91 municipalities and 9 unincorporated census-designated places” for a total of 99. St. Louis City would make 100! Greater St Louis has quickly grown in size, but not population, to encompass 17 counties – 8 in Illinois and 9 in Missouri. One of those 17 joining another is no longer a relevant discussion.

The total units of government for the region is in the hundreds. Hundreds! Counties, municipalities, school districts, fire protection districts, sewer & water districts, etc. Bi-State/Metro is another without the ability to tax. If we create a transit district in Missouri with the ability to tax that is just one more. The city being part of St Louis County is trivial at this point – the problem is so much bigger than it was in 1950.

The harsh reality is that we need to significantly reduce the number of units of government in order to better guide growth and change in the region over the next 30-40-50-60 years. That means many municipalities go away, becoming parts of a larger city.

Our governmental fragmentation will be the roadblock to future urbanization and population/job growth.

Arch Charrette Exhibit Reception Tonight (12/3/08)

Last month the St. Louis Riverfront/Arch Grounds Interdisciplinary Student Charrette (flyer) was held at the Mansion House downtown. Tonight is the opening reception with the final boards on display at the gallery space at the Landmark’s Association in the Lammert Building at 911 Washington Ave.  The reception is from 5pm – 8:30pm and the exhibit runs now through January 3, 2008.

I was there on the day they started working and for their presentations.  I was promised their materials would be posted online but to date I have not been able to track down the location.  There were some really good ideas and some bad ideas.  Most recognized I-70 as a major, barrier along with an unfriendly Memorial Drive.

Some kept the highway and shockingly one team called for more destruction of downtown by having park tentacles reaching into the city.

Check out the exhibit & reception.  I’ll continue to track down the online versions of the presentations.

Critical Mass St Louis Founder Dr Dan Kliman is Dead

He lived in St Louis for about 5 years before moving to the San Francisco bay area. Dr. Dan Kliman’s body was found at the bottom of an elevator shaft on Monday December 1st, 2008. He was 38.

I met Dan Kliman a decade ago. In the late 1990s I was an avid cyclist. Dr. Kliman was a cycling activist. He started the controversial “Critical Mass” bike ride here after having been a part of Critical Mass Chicago while in medical school. He lived in the CWE but worked at a hospital in St Charles – he took MetroLink and his bike to get there.

Besides being a cycling activist he was also a pro-gay and pro-Israel activist. He joined my South Park group on Wednesday evenings at Colorado restaurant on Laclede. One weekend about 10 years ago we went to Chicago for a bike ride. Yes, a bike ride in Chicago in December! I think everyone started gathering around 9am at a microbrewery. After drinking a good amount of beer and filling our water bottles with more beer the group biked to the famed Michigan Ave. We’d gather outside of posh stores and sign twisted Christmas lyrics. You know, anti-commercialism, anti-fur sorts of twisting. I would have been 31, it was fun. Even the snow and ice we encountered on the bike ride back to a friend’s place where we were staying was fun.

Dan Kliman was an acquired taste – many were put off by his strong opinions and loud voice. Others just hated his insistence on asserting his rights as a cyclist. He was certainly an in your face type. I figured if he were to die it would be because a motorist ran him over.

Dr. Kliman moved from St Louis to California, specifically the East Bay, in November 2002.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued this statement:

The Anti-Defamation League is deeply saddened by the death of pro-Israel activist Daniel Kliman, a founder of San Francisco Voice for Israel. According to police reports, on December 1st, Mr. Kliman’s body was found at the bottom of an elevator shaft in the Sharon Building located at 55 New Montgomery Street. The police investigation is ongoing.

The ADL, founded in 1913, is the world’s leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.

An Elegant & Accessible Solution

My real estate office (Circa Properties) is located in a very urban building on S. Kingshighway at Landsdowne (map). The building’s owner, an Architect, lives with his family in one of the upstairs apartments.

This summer as I was about to return to work he make access easier. Since the building was built in 1922 the commercial storefront spaces have always had a single step at each entrance.

As you can see above he devised a simple and elegant solution to eliminate the steps. At each end of the new section of sidewalk is a gentle slope, allowing someone access without a step. Planting space softens the area and visually breaks up the previously large amount of concrete. Rather than a bunch of ramps this solution looks very thoughtful.

I’ve never had my wheelchair at the office but if I did getting inside would no longer be an issue.

Win Tickets to St. Louis’ 2009 Inaugural Ball

On Tuesday January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States. There will be many parties in Washington D.C. and room rate there have skyrocketed. Not going to D.C. for the event? Still feel like celebrating?

Well then the St. Louis African American Caucus Foundation and the St. Louis Young Democrats have just what you need, St. Louis’ 2009 Inaugural Ball held inside the beautiful rotunda of the St Louis City Hall. Tickets for this black-tie event are $50 per person or $125 per person for the VIP ticket which includes valet parking, a cocktail party and dinner. The Ball starts at 8pm with the VIP events starting at 6:30pm.

I’ve got two regular tickets (non-VIP) for a lucky reader. The contest is open between now and 5pm Friday January 2, 2009. Entering is easy, just send an email to contests@urbanreviewstl.com – include your name, your home address and your phone number. I’ll take all the entries and pick a winner at random. Only one entry per person. If you cannot attend please don’t enter. I’ll notify the winner by email and/or phone by 5pm Monday 1/5/2008 so that person has plenty of time to go shopping for the right outfit, arrange for a baby sitter, etc. Your contact information will not be used by me or sold to others.

I would use the tickets myself but I don’t have the proper attire and I’ve got class until 7pm that evening anyway. Besides, my bedtime is often before 9pm. Trust me, when President Bush becomes former President Bush and Barack Obama becomes President Obama I will be celebrating.