Our Region Doesn’t Need Another Band-Aid. It Needs a Solution
Date Posted: August 2, 2022
Posted In: Discussion,
From St. Louis Business Journal:
by Chris Krehmeyer
In a recent article I wrote for the St. Louis Business Journal called How St. Louis Became America’s Comeback City, I started with the premise of, what if this became a reality? And if so, what would a solution or effort to help create such a reality look like?
Without going into details of this solution, I wrote how, to be that effective, it would have to look and feel very different than anything we’ve done before. It would have to be bold, ambitious and innovative. It would have to be newsworthy. Also, as with the efforts it took to revitalize Detroit, a few key local business leaders would play an instrumental role in leading the way.
Most importantly, this solution or effort would finally address what research from Greater St. Louis Inc., Washington University in St. Louis, University of Missouri–St. Louis, Forward Through Ferguson, and others show is the underlying source of our challenges — our high concentrations of poverty and communities in decline.
In another article, I pointed out that nearly all of the region’s biggest challenges identified by subscribers in the St. Louis Business Journal’s AdvanceSTL survey — from our national reputation to troubling crime rates, difficulty in attracting and retaining talent, population growth and race/equity/inclusion — are a result of this underlying issue. And how finally addressing this would benefit all of St. Louis from our business community to the region as a whole.
Now let’s get into some details.
Why our region needs a comprehensive, holistic solution
To move St. Louis forward, we need to stop applying Band-Aids and begin creating lasting change. This means treating the underlying condition instead of focusing on symptoms. Instead of merely handing out food, let’s address why people are hungry in the first place. Instead of only focusing on crime, let’s address the conditions that are fueling it.
To do this effectively, we also need to recognize that complex, multigenerational problems cannot be solved through simplistic solutions.