I like this forum a lot, but I do have one question.



Why is there a metro STL section?



I'm not trying to cause tension, but for a forum called Urban St. Louis attached to a website about city development, I think it makes more sense to have the whole thing devoted to the City. Instead of the county stuff maybe it could be neighborhood specific or something, I don't know.



Detroit has a very active site devoted just to Detroit issues that is pretty interesting (although reading through that forum makes me think STL has it easy! http://detroityes.com/frameset-forum.htm) They discuss everything from politics, to crime to development



I thought at one time it was exclusively STL City stuff.



Anyway, just the marketing nerd in me commenting here

Allow me to submit an answere, though correct me if I am off base.



Cities, the traditional notion that we have of an isolated chunkof realestate with a name changed in the past 50 years, metros are the collective experience of all those who interact with the city. The city and the surrounding Metro need each other to survive, and in ideal world there should be a seemless transition from one to another. That does not mean supporting sprawl, but realizing that some members who love the urbanity of St. Louis may like to make their home in Spanish Lake, Alton, St. Charles or Kirkwood. There are a lot of bad suburbs out there, but as a whole the metro has a lot to offer.



I love Luameir Sculpture park, I am interested in the New Urban infill developments in Krikwood and Flourescent, Alton is a great date day trip. This site is primarily oriented to the city, but to ignore the metro at large would be remiss, we are stronger together than seperate, ans St. Louis city even at its weakest was the heart of the metro, with new growth it will continue to emerge as the hub the metro revolves on.



For more insight I recomend Thomas Friedman(n?), and urban planner who presents a great case in that united metros will dominate over haphazard ones on a global scale. The Confluence Greenway project is an excellant step in the right direction, now if only we could find a way to merge resources to lower services and increase capital...

^That's one of the reasons. To neglect the suburbs would mean we are missing some really great projects, and the regional thinking we really need to succeed.



The other reason is, despite the site name and the focus of the site, the forum has IMO moved a little away from just the city into a little bit of a regional focus. This has to do with the merger of stl rising forum into this one. If you look at the stl rising forum, it has county, metro east, and st. charles sections, although the main focus is the city. Some of this was brought into this forum, although I don't think quite as much so. I don't think it is a bad thing at all to have a small area to post other great urban type projects that aren't necessarilly in the city, although I can see where you are coming from Olvidarte.

Good question. I agree with the comments made by Beer City and MattnSTL.



I think the city is the heartbeat of the region and focusing on it is very imperative, however, to ignore other areas of the region keeps buying into that separatist mentality that has permeated St. Louis on so many levels and has paralyzed the region's growth for far too long, I think.



Even seeing city and county leaders support one another nowadays is refreshing.



I don't support sprawl, but the reality is until something is done legislatively, it's not going to change so why not post worthwhile (subject to interpretation, I suppose) suburban projects that elevate the esteem and stature of the region? Should we ignore projects in Clayton? Maryland Heights? Creve Coeur?



There may be projects that aren't always "urban" in nature, but are still good for the overall health and vitality of the region.



Contrary to popular belief, what happens in St. Louis City affects St. Louis County and vice versa. Even what happens in far-flung St. Charles County impacts St. Louis City and County.



For example, if St. Charles County did not have the land (and local/state tax incentives) for Citimortgage and Mastercard to expand their campuses, the firms would have left the region taking some estimated 7-8,000 jobs with them - at least that is what the public was told. Those 7-8,000 workers live all over the region.



Having a section dedicated to the other parts of the region doesn't hurt the focus on St. Louis City, in my opinion. I don't think anything that happens in outlying parts of St. Louis can overshadow what is taking place in the city at this time.