By David Wilson, American Planning Association, Environment & Community Planning East-West Gateway Council of Governments
A new initiative seeks to “maintain, develop and enhance the unique places and communities in our region through investment that reflects local values, diversity and character.” In a series of meetings held across the region in 2012 and 2013, residents of many different neighborhoods and cities expressed a fondness for the distinctive characteristics of the places they live. As a result, OneSTL, the St. Louis regional plan for sustainable development, has made “distinctive” one of nine key themes around which organizations and local governments can find common ground. Another theme is “collaborative” –to “promote inclusive and on-going efforts that involve communication, cooperation, and action among local and regional leaders and residents.” The Community Builders Network has identified goals of increasing inter-jurisdictional cooperation and strengthening neighborhood and community collaboration as two areas where it can plan a strategic role in this broad regional initiative.
Eleven core partner organizations began the process in 2011, and at the end of the three years of planning, more than 50 organizations had identified key strategies to support a prosperous, healthy and vibrant St. Louis region.
The entire plan is located online at www.onestl.org. The website contains the plan in pdf and in a web-based format, and a Toolkit of Sustainable Solutions that is designed to provide information to local government officials about best practices that are being implemented in the region. The website also contains a library of more than 75 sustainability-related plans and reports, and a dashboard of indicators that will be monitored at a regional scale.
Through OneSTL, individuals and organizations can identify both the broad regional goals and objectives and also the specific activities of organizations that are working to address regional challenges. OneSTL is designed to create a network of people and organizations that are committed to building a more sustainable future.
Everyone is invited to join the OneSTL Network. Individuals can join as an interested resident or as a representative of an organization. There is no membership fee. Simply go to www.onestl.org/component/toolkit/message-join to join the OneSTL Network, which builds upon the partnerships formed to create OneSTL; recognizes people and organizations in the region working toward sustainability; and provides opportunities to exchange information and collaborate. OneSTL will be co-sponsoring events and activities to promote a prosperous, healthy and vibrant region, and also reporting on key measures of success. Explore the website for areas of particular interest to you or your organization.
You are invited to request a presentation to introduce OneSTL to your organization. Simply e-mail your request to onestl@ewgateway.org and you will be contacted to arrange a presentation.
Articles in “From the Field” represent the opinions of the author only and do not represent the views of the Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis or the University of Missouri- St. Louis.
