St. Louis Could Adopt These Low-Cost Ideas From Cities Around the World
Date Posted: April 28, 2026
Posted In: Discussion, Ideas,
From St. Louis Business Journal: Like many readers — especially retired ones — I’ve recently traveled throughout the U.S. and abroad. St. Louis has many assets I miss elsewhere. At the same time, I’ve seen simple, mostly low-cost ideas other cities use that could work just as well here.
In Salt Lake City, pedestrians can donate to homeless services providers by putting spare change in repurposed parking meters located on downtown streets. These devices can be installed anywhere in the region, and may prove helpful in St. Louis, where the city bears a disproportionate share of the region’s homelessness.
Or consider Dublin, Ireland. Bus stops there feature electronic signs displaying arrival times, with vehicles monitored by GPS. Unlike in St. Louis, where users must use an app for such details, passengers know instantly whether the next bus will arrive in two minutes or 20.
Ireland also shows a better path to preventing drunk driving deaths. In Missouri, a driver can be arrested for having a blood alcohol content (BAC) measuring .08. In Ireland, the standard is stricter: Ordinary drivers are subject to fines and losing their licenses if their BAC measures .05.
Another international destination, Kyoto, Japan, has a better way to protect pedestrians – about five dozen of whom were killed here in 2024. In the Japanese city as well as in Salt Lake City, pedestrians crossing busy streets use bright orange flags to make themselves more visible to drivers. After crossing, the flags are returned to containers for reuse. The contrast matters: Brown, gray, and green clothing can easily blend into the urban landscape.
Parking is another daily concern in parts of St. Louis. In Naples, Florida, drivers on Fifth Avenue are directed in real time to open parking spots, thanks to LED signs mounted above intersections. The system reduces circling, congestion and frustration by letting motorists know exactly where spaces are available.