Jacqueline Tatom 2012 Emerging Scholar Best Paper Award

Posted on May 4, 2012 by admin

The St. Louis Metropolitan Research Exchange (STLMRE), in conjunction with the Des Lee Collaborative Vision at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, is sponsoring a biennial award for the best paper on a case or issue in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This award commemorates Jacqueline Tatom, an architect, urban designer, and teacher whose work explored the metropolitan landscapes of St. Louis and its environs.

Please see the attached for eligibility and submission details.

Jacqueline Tatom 2012 Emerging Scholar Best Paper Award

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Institute for Urban Research staff update by Andrew Theising

Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin

Technology is wonderful, and so are the people who update it!

I would like to take a moment and recognize the people behind the scenes who make everything work. Carrie Smolar served as our official web content manager, and did a great job. She moved to another office at SIUE and, in her absence, technology stood still!

I’m very happy to welcome Julie Eudy to the Institute staff. Among her many other duties, Julie will be the IUR’s new content manager. Watch this space for updates and changes, now that we’re back to being fully staffed.

I thank Carrie for her wonderful work, and I extend a hearty welcome to Julie! Let the data flow!

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Leisure and Entertainment in Greater East St. Louis by Dr. Anthony Cheeseboro

Posted on October 26, 2011 by admin

My project at the Institute for Urban Research examines Leisure and Entertainment in Greater East St. Louis, 1950-1995. This project looks at the evolution of social activity in the African American communities in the East Louis area.  There have been anecdotal volumes written about entertainment in the region, but this is the first scholarly study of the post-WW2 entertainment in Metro East.  My study includes the communities of East St. Louis, Brooklyn, Madison, Washington Park, Alorton, and Centerville. It has been a great eye-opener because it sheds light on relationships that we always knew were there, but that scholars had never fully explored. 

For instance, no one has ever really studied the connections between upwardly mobile people who sought business opportunities that catered to African Americans and the great numbers of African Americans who found employment in the bustling industrial sectors of Greater East St. Louis during the middle of the twentieth century.  It shows how institutions such as the public schools nurtured tremendous African American talent in East St. Louis and Brooklyn, and served as the foundation for numerous world-class musical careers. 

Another interesting musical note has been the marked differences in musical tastes and careers among those reared in East St. Louis or Brooklyn, and those who established careers in the area as adults. Those who came to the area, especially from the 1950s onward, almost all pursued musical careers in R&B.  Those who were reared in the area may have played R&B, but they almost always were jazz musicians at heart.

One last fascinating aspect of this project is the political connections that prominent club owners had.  Men like Leo Gooden were dynamic entrepreneurs, but were also heavily involved in politics. Churches were a well-known center of political organization among African Americans, but night clubs often served as bases for organization and mobilization for a different population than that which frequented churches.  It is also significant because the bar or saloon as a base of political organization follows a pattern of local organization that had been well established among immigrant whites.

Today when we drive through these communities, we frequently see vacant lots and abandoned buildings.  We should pause and consider that a generation ago, people lived their lives in this space.  What is now a silent street once rang with laughter, music, and the sounds of people enjoying themselves on a day off from the factories.

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Remembering Bob Cassilly by Andrew Theising

Posted on October 11, 2011 by admin

St. Louis lost a piece of its soul recently with the unexpected passing of artist Bob Cassilly.  Cassilly was a powerhouse of creativity.  He didn’t seem to have much use for rules, and always seemed to push forward despite them.

 His transformation of an old warehouse into a playground of art is nothing short of amazing.  I remember thinking two things when I went to City Museum for the first time:  “this is incredible” and “someone’s going to get hurt.” City Museum is crazy, whimsical, daring, just dangerous enough to push visitors to the edge of their comfort zone, and solid enough to keep it all together.

Cassilly was a man who lived art.  He didn’t seem satisfied to just create art—he wanted people to experience his art.  Art was not to be framed on a wall or hidden beneath glass.  It was to jut out from a floor, be climbed upon, laughed at, and crawled through.  It should be an exploration, an experience, and a source of joyfulness.  Sometimes, art has to be appreciated on hands and knees.  I hadn’t ever thought of that before City Museum!

I only met him once, when he spoke to a group at FOCUS St.Louis, but it was so memorable to hear his creativity bubble from the podium.  I remember back in 2001, the old Mount Pisgah (originally First Methodist) Church was being demolished in East St. Louis around the corner from my office there.  The walls were knocked down quickly, but the tower was being dismantled stone by stone.  “Why are you being so careful with that?” I asked the workers.  “Bob Cassilly wants it for the City Museum.”  That square tower now stands as part of the outdoor exhibits at the museum.

Thank you, Bob, for your gifts to the city.  Thank you for the memories you have created for all of your visitors.  Thank you for reminding us how to have fun.  You left the world a better place than you found it—and your memory will always bring a smile.

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Ten Changes to Transform East St. Louis (and the first five are free!) by Andrew Theising

Posted on September 20, 2011 by admin

(Third of three blogs)

Finally, two big ideas that will cost a lot, but will change development in the city for the next twenty-five years.

9.  Build an industrial park with appropriate infrastructure.  If Coca-Cola wanted to relocate to East St. Louis tomorrow, it couldn’t do it.  The streets couldn’t support the traffic, the sewers couldn’t support the volume, and I have serious doubt if the electrical grid/communication infrastructure could handle a large industrial user.  The city should have a major bond issue to build an industrial park, so that when a major business wants to locate there, the infrastructure is already in place.  The city is already building a port facility on its south riverfront—this would be the perfect time to acquire adjacent land for an industrial park.

10.  Clear the riverfront—move the grain elevator.  Yes, there are hundreds of jobs associated with it.  Yes, it is a major property tax payer.  Yes, it has been a corporate citizen of East St. Louis for generations.  However, it’s time to move it (perhaps to a new industrial park and river port!).  The structure is a poor use of prime real estate.  It draws heavy truck and rail traffic through a zone that should be tourist-oriented.  The city has long failed to capitalize on the casino traffic, and it will be impossible for the city to capitalize on the tourist traffic created by Gateway Arch expansion if the riverfront remains industrial.  Remove the silos.  Remove the tracks.  Redirect the truck traffic.  Put people first. 

 At the East St. Louis Sesquicentennial Summer Celebration in July, one of the speakers made a very good point about the future of East St. Louis—that is was on the river.  Major problems with the river have been addressed already.  Flooding that inundated the city many times in the past is now controlled by the floodwall.  Getting across the river is as easy as it has ever been—there are three vehicle bridges going into the city from St. Louis, with a fourth underway—plus three light rail stops.  Finally, the mammoth attraction that is the Gateway Arch is about to reach over to East St. Louis and make a major investment in the city.  Opportunity is knocking.  Bold leadership needs to answer the door.

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Ten Changes to Transform East St. Louis (and the first five are free!) by Andrew Theising

Posted on September 7, 2011 by admin

(Second of three blogs)

Now, four ideas that will cost money in the short-term, but pay off in the longer-term.

 6.  Renegotiate police and fire contracts.  These are essential services to a successful city.  The police and fire contracts have long been a controversial issue.  There are two parties to any contract, and each looks out for its own interest.  The existing contracts do not appear to be in the city’s best interest.  Benefits are likely too high, outside employment should be stopped, and employees should be held accountable for attendance and performance.  The city probably spends more on lawyers fixing problems than it would spend on a professional negotiator to do it right in the first place. 

 7.  Put an end to the club culture.  Yes, clubs generate a lot of the city’s local revenue.  However, clubs also generate the crime for which the city has become infamous.  A man was shot at a club on Broadway and walked over to a nice business establishment on Missouri Avenue, where he died.  That business establishment is now gone.  These kinds of incidents scare away developers, customers, and traffic.  Doing so will be short-term pain for long-term gain.  (Alternate idea:  create a club district in a corner of the city and relocate them there, where it can be policed.  Surveillance cameras would be a good idea.)

 8.  Stop locating non-taxable land uses on major thoroughfares.  Most of the new construction in the city is not taxable.  Government buildings, new schools, the library, and churches occupy some of the best land on major streets.  This is not wise.  While a new school is a nice idea, it does not have to be on a high-value corridor like State Street.  People will use the school building wherever it is located, so why not move it a block away from the main road?  That way, it generates traffic on a major arterial street—and the prime real estate is available for an entrepreneur to build a business that will capitalize on that school traffic (and generate tax for the city!).  This would be a great place for a TIF district.

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Ten Changes to Transform East St. Louis (and the first five are free!) by Andrew Theising

Posted on August 23, 2011 by admin

(First of three blogs)

1.  Operate city hall like the businesses the city wants to attract.  It should be open at 8:30 a.m. and should remain fully staffed until 4:30 p.m.  No loitering.  No visitors.  No reading magazines at the desk.  If there is not eight hours’ worth of work for each employee there, then that is a sign of over-staffing.  Doing this will not cost the city a penny.  It may even save the city some money.

2.  Demand that St. Clair County re-assess every piece of property in the city, and come up with a true market value.  There is no excuse to have lots valued at $100 (or less) on the official tax roll.  I find it hard to believe that there is a piece of land in the city not worth $1,000.  The total assessed value of a city determines the limit of its bonding authority.  The city is hobbled by inaccurate and undervalued assessments.  Doing this will not cost the city a penny.  In fact, accurate assessments will increase revenue.

3.  End the TIF districts that cover the entire city.  A few small TIF districts are fine (like 25th and State—that’s good work!), but putting the whole city in TIF was short-sighted.  TIF has functionally strangled city hall.  This also does not have to cost the city or the taxpayers a penny.  It would give city hall a much-needed revenue shift. 

4.  Enforce the laws, equally and everywhere.  A wise mayor said to me once that a city is only as good as its police force.  We all know where the drug dealers and prostitutes are conducting business.  If the city doesn’t want to arrest these people, just driving a few patrol cars along the streets would probably be enough to scare away the customers—and that will drive away the dealers.  There’s no extra cost to have a police car already on duty drive down a few targeted streets.

5.  Call in professional help.  The city does not have an economic problem, it has a decision-making problem.  It needs outside consultants (and not the consultants that usually show up at city hall).  The ICMA has a program called the “range riders”—retired executives who help cities in distress.  Go to www.ilcma.org and start the discussion; it’s free of charge.

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There Was Also Some Good News by Dr. Mark Abbott

Posted on August 1, 2011 by admin

Ever since the 2010 census came out, it seems that Metropolitan St. Louisans have been wringing their hands.  From the Post-Dispatch to virtually every area pundit, the story is the same.  There is nothing but “doom and gloom” in the numbers.  The city lost population—again.  The region as a whole is getting older.  Worst of all, the census showed that the region is not growing as fast as the nation.

But I would like to offer a different take.  Instead of being dismayed by the census, I think there are a number of positive signs.  The figure from the census which really jumps out at me is that St. Louis is still ranked the 18th largest metropolitan region.  I was fully expecting that St. Louis was going to be passed by either Tampa or Denver.  While we did not grow as rapidly as either of these two regions, we grew fast enough to maintain our position.

While commentators have lamented that the region only grew at a 4.23% rate, they do not point out that this was higher than for the three largest regions—New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.  Nor do they note that it was virtually the same as for two “cooler” regions—Boston (3.67%) and San Francisco (5.13%).  Considering that the region took two “body blows” not of our making during the decade—losing two major employers, Ford and Chrysler—holding onto our position in the second tier of major metros is incredibly good news.  We have problems, but we have a lot going for us as well—a diversified employment base, great neighborhoods, world class amenities and institutions—plus we are still in the middle of the country.  We could be the “sleeper” region in the next decade.

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Public Safety-Doing More With Less by Dr. Morris Taylor

Posted on July 6, 2011 by admin

Policing urban communities in the United States has always been fraught with challenges. Yet, many of these problems have become exacerbated due to the current economic climate in the United States. Thus, many urban police departments are forced to do more with less requiring management to be more innovative than ever. Yet, a major issue for some departments is institutional capacity. Or, how lean and mean can an organization become and still provide a modicum of effective—protective services?

The St. Louis Police department perhaps represents the most current local example in that they have been doing more with less for a number of years, yet are still generally able to provide effective levels of service. Part of this has been a function of restricting what constitutes the need for a uniformed officer to respond to certain calls. For example, like many urban departments, police officers are not sent to every single call if the request for service does not involve a crime against a person or there is no eminent danger present. Rather, information is taken via telephone and a report is generated relative thereto, thus saving uniformed personnel for targeted high crime areas.

However, St. Louis is by no means alone in this regard as several metro east police agencies are becoming more mindful of their fiscal challenges.  In fact, these fiscal challenges could even present spillover effects as adjacent police agencies may be called upon to assist other depressed communities thereby consuming their own resources more rapidly. Or, citizens who are discontent with their community’s level of police services could, if they are able, move to communities where services are better.  Yet, all of these factors have implications not just for a single city but for the entire region.

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Flood Plain Development by Andrew Theising

Posted on June 20, 2011 by admin

The Missouri River is on the rise and those of us who remember the Great Flood of ’93 can recall the Chesterfield Valley being underwater.  Since the Great Flood, the Chesterfield Valley has become a center of economic development.  The Chesterfield Commons shopping center is literally a mile long!  A Post-Dispatch article stated that over 12,000 people work in the Valley.  It represents more than a $1 billion of assessed property value.  It could all be under water if not for the Monarch Levee system.  According to the Corps of Engineers website, the cost of Monarch Levee improvements since 1993 have exceeded $71 million.

We build higher levees on one side of the river, and that motivates the other side to build higher, and together that sends all the water even further downstream.  The same battle is going on upstream too.  Decisions made up north affect how much water flows toward us, just as our decisions determine how much flows to Cape Girardeau, Memphis, and further downstream.

Recently, the Corps of Engineers had to make a very tough call at Cairo, Illinois.  Breach one levee in order to save another.  The Corps chose to sacrifice farmland in Missouri in order to save a small city in Illinois.  I could only think that a similar choice is coming to the St. Louis area.  The 1993 flood came just two feet from topping the flood wall protecting St. Louis.  We haven’t extended that flood wall since then, but we sure have raised the flood walls upstream.  The day is coming.  Who’s going to make that choice?  Would we sacrifice St. Charles to save Chesterfield?  Would we sacrifice retail development to save residential development?  Would we flood East St. Louis to save St. Louis?  We may be setting ourselves up for a catastrophe.

There’s a home-made sign on Highway 79 north of St. Peters that says something to the effect of “it’s called a flood plain because it’s plain that it floods!”  There must be a smarter way to build.

What do you think?  Is flood plain development good for the economy?  Should taxpayers foot the bill to protect the Hummer dealership from floods?

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