VIDEO: New+Found CEO Steve Smith Calls for an “I.D.E.A. Corridor” to Accelerate St. Louis’ Future
Date Posted: July 28, 2026
Posted In: Featured, Ideas,
by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum
What if St. Louis stopped trying to be everything, everywhere—and instead doubled down on the place where its greatest strengths already exist?
That was the central message of New+Found founder Steve Smith’s presentation at Construction Forum’s July program at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema at City Foundry.
Drawing on decades of experience as an architect, developer and civic leader, Smith argued that the region’s competitive advantage is concentrated within the Central Corridor, stretching roughly from the Gateway Arch to Forest Park.
“The Central Corridor is one one-thousandth of our region,” Smith observed. “Let’s focus it where our strength is.”
Smith proposed thinking of the area not simply as the Central Corridor, but as the I.D.E.A. Corridor —representing Innovation, Diversity, Education and Arts. The district already contains many of the region’s greatest assets, including its major research universities, innovation centers, cultural institutions, diverse neighborhoods and entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Rather than dispersing investment across the region, Smith argued that concentrating resources in this corridor would create a nationally recognizable destination capable of attracting entrepreneurs, talent, investment and residents while generating momentum that benefits the broader St. Louis region.
Smith also emphasized that transformative development depends on investment at both ends of the capital spectrum.
He credited the Arch to Park Equity Fund with providing critical “last dollar” financing that has helped projects such as City Foundry and Mansion House reach completion. Equally important, he said, is providing the “first dollar” that allows promising ideas to get off the ground.
That philosophy is behind the St. Louis Growth and Impact Fund, an investment fund created by New+Found to provide early-stage capital for opportunistic and value-add real estate investments in strategically targeted neighborhoods. The fund seeks both strong financial returns and meaningful community impact while helping reshape the national narrative about St. Louis.
Looking back on more than two decades of development, Smith noted that virtually every major project required someone willing to believe in an idea before others did.
His message was ultimately one of confidence. St. Louis already possesses remarkable assets, he argued. The opportunity now is to align investment around those strengths and build a future that is greater than the sum of its individual projects.
Construction Forum has posted Steve Smith’s complete presentation—including all of his slides—for those who would like to explore his vision in greater depth.