urbanSTL

Fantastic. Bringing in such businessmen & scientists to show off the potential of StL for biotech bodes very well for how we are positioning ourselves to the global marketplace and increasing opportunities to promote joint ventures and new capital to the emerging companies already underway here. Here's hoping to great presentations and intermixing of the various StL-based biotech companies, biotech VC/PE funds, and the full power of the CORTeX group in promoting the possibilities.

Note that the article says the delegation is bound for the Chicago convention but already is planning on Northern California and the Carolina Triangle. No talk of Southern California or Boston, the two most established clusters for biotech in the US. Great stuff.

Huzzah to the China Hub people for promoting StL in other ways, not something they had to do, nor something that I would think was easy to incorporate into the Chinese delegation's schedule.

I might guess that Chinese companies aren't predisposed to bet against St. Louis like many either in STL or around the US might be. The Chinese experience of the past decade or two has been seeing cities burst out of no where throughout China, on the coasts, in the north, in the west...perhaps they see potential in STL that is difficult for us to see.

They probably saw the NYTimes article.

The Chinese model for urban economic development is based on master planning, starting on the East coast and now transitioning into the center of the country. While Shenzen and Xi’an have grown alongside pre-established economic centers like Shanghai and Guangzhou, we will soon be hearing more about cities like Chengdu, a place I know little of but know that it has a population of over ten million. They have been able to best organize their development through top-down master planning, including the development of specific industries & sectors and urban planning based upon such planned growth.

While StL has not had a good return on single-entity projects for redevelopment (St. Louis Centre), we have seen growing successes in large multi-scale developments. This includes the Grand Center TIF leading to the growth along Locust & SLU’s Chaifetz Arena; the stabilizing growth of the biotech industry, both in and out of the CORTeX borders (complimenting the BJC medical universe); and most visibly Downtown StL establishing a great community of residents & workers inside shells of outdated warehouse buildings, now with new lives as lofts and retrofitted buildings.

The most ambitious project, NorthSide Redevelopment, is actually something quite familiar to the Chinese: taking a wide swath of land and retrofitting it into new life. Yes, I know this is just a plan and not proven and not always popular, but it was Paul McKee that first got the Chinese interested in StL. Such planning is at the heart of NorthPark next to Lambert, which will be where any new base of logistics and localized manufacturing will be centered for direct engagement with the Chinese markets for export from StL. Having large ideas and acting upon them really makes sense to the Chinese mentality of economic development, and it most definitely keeps their attention while spurring their curiosities as to what could be.

Our proximity to Chicago could actually be seen as comparable to how Shenzen is related to Shanghai.

That we are a more affordable market than those on the Coasts is very important for them considering investment in this market. While a company like InBev wants a presence in NYC partially for ego, China looks at StL as a potential foothold in the US. If it is prudent to diversify one’s economic interests and invest accordingly, we present one of the best opportunities for foreign direct investment producing a solid and sustainable return on capital.

The big question of what we will send to China goes beyond what can be brought in on rail, road, or river (although the New Orleans cooperation is wonderful). Multiple development sites around the area can be built for new manufacturing of high-end goods, from complex electronics to pharmaceuticals. Proximity to the airport of dedicated shipping would give rise to multiple US-based companies wanting to set up shop near here, providing new jobs and residents. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see European companies setting up a site or two to take advantage of this long-term, such as a pharmaceutical group.

End result: In time, we will have enough stuff here to ship back to China by air.

These large sites for redevelopment have their mouths watering for what can be. We just need to be patient, and persistent, and let them come to see what such an arrangement could be for them long-term.

Who knows, one day Albert Pujols could one day be as famous in China as LeBron James is.

^ I believe he stated that MLB is not on the radar over there and not the NBA - which of course is very popular.

So this thing seems to have legs. We're attacking the "Big Idea" from more and more angles. What's next?

Yes, flights obviously, but I mean what's the next strategy. Count them off with me,

- biotech company cooperation agreements
- Tri-city/NOLA partnership aimed at Chinese ships through Panama
- Lambert warehouses and cargo / Bond and Slay in China / airlines here
- Webster campuses
- Wuhan and Nangjing sister city agreements

What else can we think to add to the list? What can the our museums do? What can our convention people do to organize a national wushu tournament?

This isn't official until China gives five pandas to the St. Louis Zoo. That's how you know they're serious. I've been following this panda diplomacy for a while.

I love Philadelphia because every time I turn my head I see a statue, mosaic, mural, or symbol of civic pride. They Philly sister cities apparently exchanged a lot of statues and plaques in the past.

If we had such an area of Forest Park, it would be cool to fill it up with gifts. Are we sending gifts to China (think statue of liberty gift from France). It'd be pretty great if we could put a giant Cardinal in the middle of a park somewhere. We should pool our local feng shui talent and design something to improve Wuhan's chi flow. Let's put it in a box in the Q for the first cargo plane to China.

I'd be all for sending a mini Arch if they could send us a mini Great Wall to put someplace in Forest Park.

LuLu's in the Olive-Link is really great. Eat there.

^ I believe that the SLLIS in The Grove is seeking to add Mandarin soon. It's currently only French and Spanish.

there has been a fair amount of buzz around the SLLIS opening up their third language as Chinese. I've got a few friends that want to put their pre-schoolers in it if they can. I'm just not sure if it should be in the Grove.

The way I see it, the closest thing to a chinatown we have is along olive in the middle of the triangle formed by UMSL/Lambert, WashU, and Clayton's downtown. UMSL and Wash U have a joint East Asian studies program, and our sister cities project is in the world trade center in Clayton. The Danforth Center is also on Olive, and so it's interesting to see Chinese biotech firms interested in the research park there.

I think the UCity library should expand their chinese section, perhaps with an East Asian Library on Olive. Any Chinese School ought to consider placing itself near Olive as well. Someday, when the Loop Trolley is in place (ha) we might consider a streetcar from the Wash U circle north on Skinker to Olive and off along asia street towards the Danforth Center. That's assuming olive stays packed with asian restaurant and shops.