Urban Living

How do we imagine St. Louis? What landmarks would you include? Which places come to mind as you traverse this distance in your mind? Where is the "center" of the city? How do you know you're getting close to downtown? When do you know you're in the suburbs? How would you give directions to someone traveling from Clayton to Tower Grove Park?

Using I-64 one might say, "Go south on Hanley until you get to the Interstate. You'll see Best Buy on your right. Go east on I-64 and you'll see signs for the St. Louis Zoo and then see Forest Park and Barnes-Jewish Hospital on your left. Exit at Grand Avenue, take a right and you'll see the Compton Heights Water Tower and then down the street you will see the park on your right." Avoiding the Interstate would likely mean employing more landmarks, neighborhoods and other queues. The Chase-Park Plaza is one such landmark that can keep you oriented. What are others?


{from Clayton to Tower Grove Park with possible landmarks}

In St. Louis the psychological distance between two locations is likely much greater than the physical distance, though physical distances can be significant. I don't think it would be a stretch to say that for someone living in Ballwin everything east of maybe Kingshighway is "downtown" while I have a very vague idea of the spatial relationship of Ballwin, Fenton, Maryland Heights, etc.

In St. Louis we would likely use road signs, compass directions and retail stores (especially the further west one travels). Does this mean that St. Louis is a "placeless" place? Our use of topography does little to assist us with placemaking. Where would you go to get close to the Mississippi River? From how many places can you view the river? We've shut off the city from the water and deprived everyone of a "place" that would help us develop a better image of our city.

If you're familiar with the city how do you know you have traveled from Fox Park to Benton Park or Webster Groves to Maplewood? I believe it's clear that more can be done to create "places" in St. Louis.

Why not:

{color-coded light towers offer just one way to provide a sense of place where none exists}

Smart Growth and Housing Affordability

Imagine that a household must choose between a suburban house with a $12,000 annual mortgage and $12,000 annual transportation costs, or an urban house with a $18,000 annual mortgage with only $6,000 in annual transportation costs. Both total $24,000 in combined housing and transportation costs, so they are economically comparable in the short-run. However, money spent on housing builds equity while money spent on motor vehicles does not. As a result, over the long run the urban location provides the household with 50% more equity, probably even more since rising future fuel prices and changing consumer preferences are likely to cause urban housing to appreciate much more than suburban housing during the next two decades. As a result, a typical household is likely to be a hundred thousand dollars wealthier in a decade if they choose a smart growth location over automobile-dependent sprawl.

Here is further evidence that suburban malls are well past their prime. The newest effort to create a "destination" shopping center is to install indoor surfing. According to the New York Times malls are paying up to $2,000,000 to have a Flowrider wave machine installed. Of course this latest shop-and-awe tactic for malls is just a hook for the story. The salient points are:

• mall rents are dropping


• dollar stores and discounters such as Big Lots are moving in


• grocery stores, medical facilities, dance studios and colleges may move in


• General Growth Properties has missed payments on $25B of debt

Finally, it's not about the recession. From 1990-2005 spending per capita rose 14% while retail space per capita increased 100%. A reordering of the American retail landscape was inevitable. The current economic crises and rising energy costs likely tip the scales further against large suburban malls. We can expect more of this in the future:



Yet this need not be the last word. Currently succssful malls can reinvent themselves before they decline into dollar store status. Inviting medical facilities, schools, etc. into the mall is a positive step, but a residential component and transportation options are musts. I'll be looking at a development in Vancouver, BC and looking at options for St. Louis soon.