Excerpts from an Urban Apologist

Neighborhood Group

2009-10-06T14:05:00.002-05:00

I apologize for being somewhat behind as of late in getting this blog updated. We are at one year in reforming our neighborhood organization and soon coming up for elections for a new officer corp. I have been serving as Vice-Chair for the last six months and have seen a huge improvement in communication, interest, and ideas I just feel that there is so much more to do.

As of late we have been working on getting an idea on how to get more volunteers for projects we have upcoming, manpower and money seemingly always in short supply. Additionally I am trying to implement some ideas I have learned in my MBA program in trying to create metrics for our issue list and working with my wife Sara on getting a survey out to determine continued interest. (thinking survey monkey).

We also have added a Facebook group a Linkedin group and I think I might start a Flickr group to continue getting the word out (also making it easier to organize).

Sara's sister also created a logo for us and we should have a full color mockup soon.

What Matters to You in Saint Louis

2009-08-11T23:17:00.001-05:00

Orange Question Mark Button
Originally uploaded by jhhwild

Why do you chose to live in the Saint Louis region versus other regions?

What is here that you could not find anywhere else?

What would make you leave Saint Louis?

What is this regions most well deserved and least known about strength?

These questions are almost a poll, One strength the United States Labor Market has always had is our flexibility to adapt to new locales to met demand for jobs in a region.

These questions are likely most answered with a family, jobs, education, or new experiences, along with negative history.

It seems that there are more ex- St. Louisians than there are current ones. This really has little to do with our climate, notions of our crime, schools, or sprawl. All are just byproducts of the times.

The real question is then what will be our evolution in the greater sense?

Where will people live in the 21st century, what jobs might they do?
and those cities which are not part of the boom how will they cope in stagnation or even decline?

St. Louis growth non existent.

2009-07-02T09:04:00.001-05:00

tax law advisors loaded
Originally uploaded by taxlawadvisors

Alot of talk has been directed against the dreaded 1% earnings tax that all residents and workers of the city must pay, and although I agree that this needs to go away I still believe that this issue is used more as a scapegoat when businesses and potential residents wish not to (re) locate to St. Louis City in the first place.

Getting rid of this tax is not easy as it accounts for 31% of city revenues. To even attempt it would require drastic cuts in city services and payroll which is already experiencing a large budget shortfall. It would also force the city to raise sales and or property tax which St. Louis could then join the ranks of all the other mini munis in the metro area for fighting for the "next big thing" development of which we already have our share.

I believe this article is a good read although I do not see any statistical correlation when reading the article which directly pinpoints retraction to 1% tax.
http://www.stlbeacon.org/in_the_news/what_does_the_earnings_tax_cost_st_louis_and_kansas_city_

The only solution out there is to combine City and county and vastly restructure our government along with strengthening our advantages (our universities, workforce, cost of living, location, life and medical sciences, modernize manufacturing), while minimizing our defects (city schools, crime, sprawl and its effects).

I'm holding my breath.

One Way Streets

2009-06-15T21:55:00.001-05:00

One Way
Originally uploaded by Timothy Schenck

I live by a one way street.

not to bad most of the time, I prefer the potentially decreased traffic however it really perturbs me when vehicles travel the wrong way to avoid a nearby intersection.

I can understand this dilemma to when driving in most parts of the Central West End really defeats the grid pattern and sure makes traveling on Kingshighway unpleasant. Downtown would be more easily navigable if there were two way streets.

I wonder if there was always so many one way streets, I know that mine was originally many years ago a two way and guess that in some ways it was to create that cul-de-sac feel for urban neighborhoods.

It would be harder to find parking if all two ways maybe one day we will have no car streets in neighborhoods. Holding my breath.

Upcoming All Star Game St. Louis

2009-06-02T22:05:00.001-05:00

Pujols
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

Sara and I were biking downtown tonight and I could not help but wonder how St. Louis will be presented during the All Star Week, including all the out of towners who will be visiting.

I think this town has a lot to offer but in a gritter sort of way.

BTW go Cards hoping that the bats can keep up with the excellent pitching.

Wal Mart

2009-05-25T09:30:00.002-05:00

Wal Mart Cards
Originally uploaded by thomasexicting

I hope that Wal*Mart never comes to the city and would fight their entry into this market by any reasonable means to keep them in the exurbs where they belong.

No company is more inconsiderate of urban planning, more damaging to the diverse fabric of retail choices and more destructive to good paying jobs than Wal*Mart.

They also seem to have a penchant for hypocrisy. I can't buy the newest Green Day album unedited but I can buy guns, tobacco and liqour, you know because we're wholesome.

In this new epoch of comsumerdom the meaning behind a brand matters just as much as the product. Wal*Mart has a lot to make up for past transgressions.

David Simon misses you

2009-05-19T20:39:00.002-05:00

St. Louis Post Dispatch
Originally uploaded by jwinterscom

I was recently listening to the Bill Moyers Journal podcast with guest David Simon who wrote one of my favorite shows The Wire. One of the many topics of discussion was how devastating the loss of the 4th estate would be to our society and to our local communities.

I could not help but wonder well take a look at St. Louis. Sure our local paper still carries metro area news but on the smaller scale there is an obvious vacuum in local information down to the neighborhood level. We used to have the Suburban Journal but as their title suggest retracted to the markets which bear their name.

I currently subscribe to 20 or so local oriented blogs and I am thrilled that these individuals take the time out of their day to write about topics that really drill down to a specific theme. The hard part is to do it day after day while covering every aspect of an area. This no one unpaid could do.

I am certain Lily Pulitzer is happy she sold when she did and part of me is not sorry to see the Post go as it will meet the fate it dealt to so many of its competitors. I can only hope that the new model steps into its place soon less we as a public be left in the dark even if it is mundane it still should be checked to determine if its newsworthy.

Marketing to two different groups

2009-05-15T13:52:00.001-05:00

2944-46 Sheridan Avenue
Originally uploaded by Dream Operator

Living in St. Louis City for 4 years now I have come across the expected suburban dwellers reaction and arguments against living in the city and I normally take the high road focusing on the positives of the city instead of pointing out the inherent deficiencies of a suburban environment.

I realize that I can't win them all but I have been faced with a unique challenge in my discussions with lifelong city residents. I owe them a lot of respect for sticking it out and maintaining their places their neighborhoods in the face of such turmoil but to me its seems like some have lost that twinkle in their eye that if they were not so stubborn or if they had the economic incentive they would move out to so and so because of ...

The normal logical process does always get through as they have forlorn reasoning for something more visceral, a discongruence from the city that is today wishing for a more nostalgic past.

I love our historic and built structures but I would greatly miss the diversity that comes with modern life and something that is akin to a modern city today.

I believe that there has to be a better way of bringing together old and new residents through community building I just haven't discovered the ideal solution yet.

Why I Am Wary of Business and Religion Mixing

2009-05-01T11:51:00.001-05:00

What Would Jesus Tow?
Originally uploaded by magnetbox

I understand the need to create an advertising platform full of platitudes which differentiates your business from competitors, most people I suspect understand that these companies are engaged in maximizing profits and this is just another way to generate interest in their brand.

I am not so sure about another sort of tie in which utilizes Christian symbolism or code words to promote a similar message. Locally an in the news this week US Fidelis uses prominent Christian symbolism with a halo in their logo, other companies in commercials advise “Open everyday but Sunday” used by a local store in St. Louis and I believe more famous Chick-Fil-A whose only location I am still aware of is in Brady Commons at Mizzou.

If a business owner wishes to personally adhere to a higher order in their business practices then I applaud them for it. However I find it somewhat misleading and in to advertise it as if Jesus is your CEO, more often than not this symbolism is designed to lure customers in the exact same manner as Liberty Mutual telling you “Responsibility that’s our policy” All of it is just marketing banality not designed at all to provide any superior product or service and instead may mask deeper problems within the organization.

A meeting with the Bob's

2009-04-14T21:58:00.000-05:00

So I'm at our neighborhood meeting tonight frustratingly listening to my alderperson defending her counterparts 11th hour spending of over $400 thousand dollars, when strangely she hasn't spent a dime in 3 years. No suprise that I get the impression of scorn in how dare we as constituents question their decsions, but what really troubles me is her argument for these appropriations. "The experts tell us what is needed."

Therein lies the problem and the ever famous reference to Office Space, if for example the street divison knows which streets are in most urgent need of repairs and are ultimately responsible for the repairs why are they not appropriated the money directly to do it themselves.

Whatever passes for job justification I guess.

A visit to Oak Park

2009-04-12T15:29:00.001-05:00

DSC_1970
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

Sorry about being so negligent in failing to post timely, promise I'll work on it.

Last weekend Sara and I were visiting some friends in Chicago and took the opportunity to visit Oak Park Il, a suburb of Chicago with proximity to the city to that of Shrewsbury or Maplewood.

Many of the homes were designed or influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright as he spent a considerable amount of time here.

Beyond the obvious that these tree lined streets held the promise for so many Americans of what they envisioned as their American Dream the real takeaway was to protect that which should be protect and allow development where it should be developed.

I'm still not sold on superblocking and anything other than true organic development and I have yet to see a successful outcome otherwise.

Ok I get it

2009-03-19T12:13:00.001-05:00

Missouri (pronounced with an E) has a serious urban versus rural divide which has stymied cooperation and growth in an economically depressed region. Although the state has 2 large metropolitan regions we are disproportionately governed by decisions reflecting a rural interest and a sense of us vs. them animosity that continues to plague any chance of success in the 21st century.

Missouri is long overdue for a serious conversation what are the root causes of this animosity and how can we bridge the gap between operating as a two state system. Time is running precariously thin as we are already starting to see glimpses of how our society will be shaped by the future and just now realizing our current structure is to costly and to inefficient to continue in its present form.

People will continue to migrate to where jobs are located, this trend has negatively been affecting rural regions for some time and will continue to accelerate as metropolitan regions further increase their share of growth and development. Coupled with rising energy costs, lack of available/affordable transportation, rural semi-rural areas adjacent to metropolitan regions will continue to diminish regardless how many bridges are built and roads put in.

We as Missouri's need to be honest with ourselves if we want our state to thrive. We now longer as a society need so many people involved in agricultural processes additionally what we have lost in manufacturing will not return because someone can do it as proficiently for cheaper than we can. This will not change and to fight against the tide of globalization while hanging onto fragments of outmoded idealized cultural references will diminish us all.

We should not neglect our rural regions but we need to stop spoon feeding trite notions that our politicians are so found of metastasizing. Missouri has real growth opportunities in the green economy and much of this development will occur in our rural regions coupled with new advances in biotech we can certainly become a model for other states to follow and funding must increase to those sectors that seek to develop our potential resources. Political correctness must also cease and common issues much also be pushed into the forefront to get a win win for all Missourians. A good start would be to spend some political capital on reworking the USF.

To all of Missouri's citizens who do not refer to themselves as residents of a metropolitan region I ask that you reinterpret the notion that what is good for the city is detrimental to me because inversely what is bad for the city can also be bad for you too. We need to create viable growth engines that propel our state in the 21st century and to inhibit this potential due to qualms of distribution only slices our pie in ever decreasing magnitude.

St. Patrick's Day parade this weekend

2009-03-13T09:27:00.001-05:00

St. Patrick
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

Here in St. Louis there are two parades the big downtown St. Patrick's day parade, and then on the 17th the Hibernians do their own parade in Dogtown which is one of the traditional Irish settlements in St. Louis.

I have never been able to make the Hibernian parade because I like most people work and I am still not sure why they feel the need to have their own separate parade. Not that I am against it I think the more the merrier just curious why the division.

I also don't buy the argument that it is because it takes place in Dogtown IMHO the original Irish were mostly settled in Near north St. Louis and I don't see any parades around there probably would have a few surprised looks if there were though now.

One of my goals this year is to get to know the history of St. Louis with a focus on North St. Louis there is so much to discover and it is terribly divisive that we operate in a north south mentality.

Anyways looking forward to getting a lot more photos this weekend, not running in the race but will try next year.

Do Your Duty

2009-03-02T23:16:00.001-06:00

I Voted
Originally uploaded by annnna.

What do you see when you picture the future of your area?

I have a hard enough time trying to visualize where I am going to hang a picture let alone dream up a master plan for the future of St. Louis. (many rest on the floor against the walls).

The funny thing is the little things are what are what really matters.

Just cleaning up litter, keeping your house exterior looking good keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior (and then reporting it) all lead to big improvements.

The only thing is that this does a lot but will still not get us over the hump we need to truly become a great city. For that we need transformational leadership, diligent leadership, accountable leadership.

Tomorrow in the City we are having primary elections an important function that many of us as citizens overlook.

If your registered few are the excuses for not participating; if you can't bother to make an appearance at your local gym, you should respectfully abstain from any future derogatory statements as to how your government functions.

We are never going to get the leaders of tomorrow if we do not elect them today. I for one I am a little tired of never getting a callback from my local officials tomorrow is my chance to remedy it.

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

2009-02-21T09:24:00.001-06:00

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.

Mardi Gras this weekend

2009-02-18T08:31:00.001-06:00

DSC_0195
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

I always love going to Mardi Gras but tend to find my enthusiasm less and less in fighting the crowds and the college drinkers.

Additionally February in St. Louis is miserable for weather, today alone it is 55 degrees with a planned drop of 25 degrees with rain and potentially snow.

Parade gets better and better each year. Someday I would like to start/join a krewe.

Pet Parade This weekend

2009-02-14T11:32:00.001-06:00

Sad Snowman
Originally uploaded by RpDannan

The Soulard Beggin' pet parade takes place this weekend in Soulard.

Sara and I have gone the last 4 years and can say that this is one of the most enjoyable parts of the Soulard Mardi Gras.

It was nice to see how they celebrate Carnival in Quebec and I am glad to see that we here in St. Louis are willing to be more inclusive of all age ranges this being a prime example.

Feudal St. Louis

2009-01-23T18:29:00.000-06:00

Nothing to do with castles, knights, or turkey legs instead our very own system of local politics where each Alderperson treats their ward as their personal fiefdom.

Most neighborhoods would be overjoyed to have a celebration like Soulard's Oktoberfest but Phyllis Young 7th ward Alderwomen believes a celebration like this creates to many hangups including attracting drunks.

I will agree that this can be an issue if safety and security is not adequately managed but I find it ironic that a neighborhood whose name also means to be drunk is also the host of the largest exercise in debauchery in the entire metropolitan region.

More importantly her word is the final say in whether or not people in lederhosen can celebrate in the last German festival in St. Louis city.

Our Alderpeople cannot sufficiently address zoning deficiencies whose master plan has not been updated since 1947 yet find the time to play lord of the party planning committee?

My wife and I first attended this event last year and by chance we sat at a long wooden bench whose occupants we found out later were a national gathering of WWII veterans who had all served in the same radio brigade.

Normally I can't say that we would randomly chat with such strangers but a tent full of people and a few great beers leads to levity. I completely agree that there should be strict enforcement ensuring that no minors be allowed however see nothing wrong with a few grown-up celebrations from time to time allowing our citizens, neighbors, friends, and strangers all to share a toast independent of the political machinations of an antiquated few.

Prost

I miss biking

2009-01-20T08:44:00.000-06:00

From May 2008 until January 2009 I was able at my work to telecommute. There are a few drawbacks but for the most part it was an additional raise.

I was able to claim an hour and a half back from my day in not having to commute by car. My work is in Fenton and it is outright dangerous to even contemplate trying to bike to work additionally it would be quite awkward once I got there to try and chance into street clothes.

Once I was able to work from home I sold my car (actually a Jeep Wrangler) and bought a bike. For the next 7 months my family was a one car family and it was great. If I needed to go somewhere and the Fit was not available I would just hop on the bike and get where I needed to go.

St. Louis is a wonderful place to bike, most of the streets are light traffic there is a detailed and well marked bike St. Louis map which provides signage and in some places dedicated bike lanes to get almost anywhere in St. Louis.

Alas it is now winter and I have a car and I find it much harder to force myself to go for a ride when I could just take the car.

picture credit randomduck: http://flickr.com/photos/rudiriet/140898286/

What did you do this weekend.

2009-01-11T22:06:00.000-06:00

Just a question as I am certain all of us in some way or another went about our daily lives independent and unaware that we all seemed to follow the same script.

I like many needed to run a few errands this weekend. I needed to purchase groceries, I went out to eat; I visited family, went out with friends, and I attended church.

Though not always practical for many reasons all of these activities were located within walking or a reasonable biking distance from where I live.

How many items of the every sort not including your employment isolate you from your community and pin you to the automobile.

This weekend Sara and I learned that behind the Urban Eats Cafe at 3301 Meramec there was the original street car turn around loop for the grand route. What a shame to no longer have such a great and simple transit system in our city and ironic too as my step mother pointed out that many street cars across the county (including in San Fransisco still in operation) were originally made by the St. Louis Street car company.

Clang Clang Clang goes the trolley.

Crossing Paths

2009-01-06T20:27:00.000-06:00

I've had two conversations over the last two days with people whom I work with who all have some connection to south city area and it reminds me how deep many peoples attachments are to the city in a more than just visceral way.

I also realized that although both no longer live in the city they still have many fond memories and seem to appreciate on a deeper level the idiosyncrasies of urban living. I initially would have stereotyped both of them as just being run of the mill suburbanites when in fact both have much more investment in this community than I.

As guilty as I am of attacking the mindset of those who live amongst sprawl I must first remember the old adage that everyone is master to me in at least one thing it for me to discover what it may be.

One of the greatest charectoristics of the city is not just the present interactions derived but the knowledge that so many before you walked these very same streets and lived their lives in the very enclaves we call home.

A new blog a new year

2009-01-04T21:14:00.000-06:00

I am checking off the first item of my new years list (which is still undergoing revision). Urban issues never initially mattered to me, in fact like most people I really only had one mental framework in which to relate. When we first moved to our house it was due to a timely suggestion of our Realtor who knew that we wanted a great house needing a rehabbing at a price we could afford.

Once announcing our intent most were excited for us and our purchase but a few dismissively suggested that moving to the city was a mistake. We heard a multitude of reasons from crime to where we would send our kids because the St. Louis School district was miserable. Some even shrouded their commentary with a racial tinge.

Only later after fully reforming myself of my suburban ways did I realize what it means to have an urban mindset. Is living in the city a perfect nirvana of course not nor would I claim it to be. No place is idyllic and our collective conscious has framed suburbia wholesome, safe, family oriented and good while portraying the city as decaying, decrepit, dangerous and bad.

I want to change peoples perceptions confronting these untruths head on. I believe that the future is the cities in which we live it is the heart of our identification with those outside our community and a common framework I now share with many others across our nation. I am an urban apologist.