Monday, October 10, 2011

Sustainability Planning in the STL Region

Did you know that the St. Louis region is working on a plan for sustainability of the region? The project is underway and here's the latest newsletter:


To learn more information about the program, contact East-West Gateway Council of Governments.

(Click through the image for a larger version)

1 comment:

GMichaud said...

Well, I don't know. Individuals on the committees may be talented, but overall I'm not sure it will accomplish what is needed for St. Louis. (Rick you should have mentioned you were on a committee).
It is not clear that a real integration of urban and transportation planning will occur in the process.
Another problem is the size of the region, the city of St. Louis and the inner ring of suburbs have the best opportunity to become highly sustainable, In contrast for areas like Chesterfield sustainability is a far more difficult task, and in fact to attain what St. Louis City could attain by simply building on an existing sustainable planning structure, Chesterfield would have to practically be rebuilt.
Nor do I understand Community Planning Areas, I don't know the area around Scott Air Base, but I do know the Hwy 47 corridor (Franklin/Warren County) and North St. Louis County pretty well. While these areas may have some merit, they are barely a step or two beyond Chesterfield in ease of converting to sustainable models.
If the City of St. Louis cannot be converted into a highly sustainable entity, then there is nothing of meaningful value that can be attained any where else in the region.
I'm not saying don't take a regional approach, for instance certainly agriculture is major part of sustainability (although I didn't recognize any expertise in agricultural matters in the committee structure).
In summary the City of St. Louis would have a far better sustainability per square foot implementation cost and be much easier to attain, establishing models and showing the region that it can be done.
Solutions coming from East West Gateway too often try to please everyone, thereby accomplishing next to nothing.