How will St. Louis fare in the 21st Century?

sunset rays
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

Save for Jules Vern I do not believe that we as humans have any chance on predicting what the future holds in store let alone the socioeconomic consequences. I like you am disappointed that we still do not travel in hovercrafts to all our destinations but am thankful that the impending war with the space monsters has not yet come to fruition.

We are witnessing a hyper intensity of what economists call creative destruction (at least the destruction part) in this economic crisis. History shows that these crisisses are the precursor of new epochs in our civilization. One that is dictated by new creative forces driving ingenuity and production.

Much thought has been put in what will again revolutionize our society will it come from the gradual abandonment of carbon based energy into green technology, or perhaps a shift due to nano based technology. Robotics and AI (ninja pirate robot anyone), genetics and life sciences. It may even occur from a device or process currently being worked on in someone’s garage or basement.

It not shocking to understand that fortune tends to shine favorably on those areas that incubate innovative growth and the ability to catalyze through favorable means can be the making or breaking of a region.

Is St. Louis prepared for the next so called boom will we be able to withstand what many have prognosticated as a redistribution of housing and where people live (and)

Or are we to be written off once more as an extension of the rust belt never fully able to recover from our loss of manufacturing our insistence on sprawl and infighting of ever diminishing resources.

If we are to make any prediction it is that our Global cities will continue to grow and smaller towns and cities will continue to talent and resources as a result. *(Rural still has a place mainly related to agricultural and tourist related production).

Once the engines of previous economic growth and at one time one of the preeminent cities of the US St. Louis like many of its regional counterparts has experienced some of the worst declines in population and has never fully recovered.

There are a multitude of factors which led to the decline, some devoid of any control others as more succinctly told are entirely the fault of their leaders.

I do not believe that we can predict the future but I do believe that we can cultivate its makers instead of chasing the dream of having the next great industry I believe that we should capture the essence of where these dreams originate. St. Louis in order to prosper needs a density of innovators of creators of inventors and dreamers. By osmosis it makes us all more enlightened.

We cultivate our fair share of these innovators, but far too often they leave for greener pastures. St. Louis as a city needs to stand out and separate itself from this current homogeneity. We must most past our notions that planning be done with auto centric suburban design in mind and take relevancy that the city encompass our framework of who we are and where we live.

The 1876 city county split seen by many (including myself) as one of the greatest blunders in city planning may be our cities saving grace. Due to our self imposed territorial confinement we have built an urban core that smart sustainable and urban minded development can thrive. Urban development is not the panacea of all that ills our area but it can be a major contributor to attracting those who bring growth. If you want jobs support urban development, if you want better schools support urban development, if you want less crime, support urban development, If you want a sustainable future for yourself and your family support urban development.