A bird’s eye view of this year’s theme of “Building Healthy Places” 

“Building Healthy Places” has inspired a new direction in discussion among ULI members and their communities. For St. Louis, the discussion began with the foundation of a healthy place.

Seeing this topic as one with broad reach, ULI St. Louis partnered with FOCUS St. Louis to present a year of programming, exploring what it might mean to build a healthy St. Louis. With a mission to create a cooperative, thriving St. Louis region by engaging citizens to participate in active leadership roles and to influence positive community change, FOCUS St. Louis provided a broader platform and natural partner in shaping a four-part series unpacking the following key Building Healthy Places topics:

• Context – What does a healthy St. Louis look like?
• Community – What role do our neighborhoods play in the broader context of a healthy community?
• Economy – How are certain emerging economic drivers – such as talent and entrepreneurism – shaping a healthy economy?
• Next – What other trends are unfolding in St. Louis that will help shape its future?

Context

What does it mean to “build a healthy place”? Starting at square one, community leaders Richard Baron (McCormack Baron), Chip Crawford (Forum Studio), Amy Shaw (Nine Network of Public Media) and Hank Webber (Washington University in St. Louis) shared thoughts about the health and future of St. Louis, emphasizing the intentional and collaborative nature of leadership.

Civic health – measured by common spaces, community discussion, catalytic organizations, and informal networks – plays a key role in a healthy city.

“Healthy communities create spaces, opportunities and stories for people to share with one another about the kind of place they would like to live,” said Amy Shaw.

Transformative projects – such as Chouteau Lake and Greenway – bring neighborhoods, businesses and community partners together around a shared vision for the future of the region and add to community health. Additionally, anchor institutions – universities, hospitals, and cultural attractions – play a critical role in that institutions remain stationary, investing in communities over long periods of time, supporting local economies and improving the quality of life in the surrounding area.

Community

Diving further into the topic, developers and community leaders discussed the regeneration of specific communities, pointing to the role healthy neighborhoods play in bringing people together.

A current mayor, a former mayor, a developer, and a minister-turned-reluctant-developer detailed the progress of rebuilding city blocks, forming special use districts, and, in one instance, transforming a former ‘killing field’ into a neighborhood park and athletic field. Dying retail and blighted buildings, predatory businesses and unkempt open spaces can weaken a community. Only by systematically and thoroughly addressing each drawback can a community begin to heal and move toward a healthy status.

“These ‘building blocks’ are the foundation upon which great cities thrive,” said Amy Gill, Restoration St. Louis.

Master plan in hand, the Christian Activity Center is assembling entire city blocks, turning them into parks, sports fields and safe and welcoming spaces for kids and families to gather, play and grow.

At the very basic level, Building Healthy Places may just be this – giving kids a place to play and, at the same time, teaching them how to value the built and natural environment.

Economy

From Rust-belt City to Start-up City, St. Louis is fostering entrepreneurship, attracting talent, and pursuing university students, encouraging the next generation to stay and invest in St. Louis to help bolster the health of the regional economy. The real estate market is responding in kind.

New companies are seeing a lot to love in St. Louis, a town full of historic buildings awaiting new life.

“Old companies want to be in new buildings. New companies want to be in old buildings.” Overheard at the 2014 ULI Spring Meeting

Wexford Science + Technology is capitalizing on the building stock in St. Louis, partnering with the Cortex Innovation District to redevelop a critical section of the central corridor and creating collaborative, innovative space to attract entrepreneurs and new businesses.

Recruiting from outside the region might seem challenging, yet the benefits and accessibility – financially, culturally and geographically – of St. Louis are hard to deny.

“Innovation is happening all around us,” said Melissa Miller, Director of Talent Acquisition, Express Scripts. “Connecting our recruits and employees to the larger community builds a happier, more stable company and encourages people to stay with us.”

Next?

In December, ULI St. Louis and FOCUS will assemble for the final time in 2014, to reflect on the Building Healthy Places discoveries to-date and look forward to 2015. We are looking forward to coming together (better) as a community, involving regional leaders in the discussion, and working harder to shape the future of St. Louis as a healthy place.