Trivia time: can you name the only three American cities* that aren’t a part of a larger county—and don’t have access to the tax dollars of their suburban neighbors (and vice versa)?
If you said Baltimore, Maryland; Carson City, Nevada; and St. Louis, Missouri, you’d be right. (The asterisk is for cities in Virginia, which, for various complicated Civil War-era reasons, doesn’t count.) But if some local advocates have their way, the last name on that list might not be there for long.
Last week, a billionaire-funded group called Better Together put forward a plan to re-unite St. Louis City and St. Louis County, which have been governed separately since way back in 1876 (for more complicated Civil War-era reasons). But while some proponents are cheering, others aren’t so sure that getting the band back together is a good idea—and the reasons why on both sides are a fascinating case study in how moving lines on a map can distract from the real and crucial conversations we should be having about how we can make our places financially strong.
On this episode of Upzoned, long time St. Louis resident and Strong Towns staffer Kea sits down with Strong Towns president Chuck Marohn to talk about the ins and outs of the merger, and what they wish Missourians would talk about instead.
Would melding STL and SLC give the city access to county tax dollars that they badly need to fix their infrastructure? Or would it give the county the windfall they need just in time to rescue their aging suburban roads as they begin to fail—leaving the city worse off than it started? Would a merger really transform the St. Louis metro overnight into an economic development heavyweight, poising it to compete with Nashville and Denver for the next corporate headquarters that goes searching for a home—and if it did, would it really be a good thing? And most importantly, how can St. Louis—and every city like it—shift the conversation away from merely developing a more financially efficient city, and towards building a more financially productive one that can really thrive?
Then in the Downzone, Chuck and Kea talk their recent reads, from the very on-topic Divided City by Alan Mallach to the not-so-relevant but still very fun Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. (Guess who’s reading which.) And then they mildly torture Kea by talking about this weekend’s upcoming entertainment: the Rams vs. Patriots Superbowl.
Top photo via Flickr.
Are Vision Zero Programs Working in Our Cities—and Would They if We Took Them National?
A Left-Wing Wrench and a Right-Wing Hammer
Is Strong Towns Anti-Smart City?
Should We Save The American Mall?
So a Hacker's Holding Your City's Data for Ransom....
Is the End of the Single-Family Neighborhood Near?
The Two Things Your City Needs to Do If You Want to End Blight
Why Our Housing Problems Don't Obey the Laws of Physics
Why does Strong Towns put *so* much emphasis on its members—and why is that so unusual in the nonprofit world?
What Would You Do if You Got a $5,000 Street Repair Bill in the Mail?
How Conservatives and Liberals Define "Fair"—and What It Means For Our Cities' Futures
Cracking Down on Pedestrians Won't Make Streets Safer
No, Revitalizing Rural America Isn't A Lost Cause. But the Way You're Thinking About it Might Be.
Can Any City Really Survive on Locally-Grown Food Alone?
Will Smart City Technology Really Make Our Places Stronger?
So Your Town is Building Lots of New Housing Units! But How Many New *Doorbells* Are You Losing?
Strong Towns: The Book is Finally Coming. But Why *Now*?
Why Does Your City Stop When It Snows?
Will Electric Vehicles Save the World, or Make Our Cities Weaker?
What Would You Do if the Government Put a Speed Limiter on Your Car?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The emPOWERed Half Hour
Der Große Neustart
Social Dallas Podcast
Change Church Podcast
Six Degrees with Kevin Bacon
Nonprofits Are Messy: Lessons in Leadership | Fundraising | Board Development | Communications