A New Millennium | Snapshot | Demographics | Economy | Housing
Infrastructure | Public/Social Services | Public Facilities | Quality of Life | Conclusion

CHAPTER 2 CONCLUSIONS

What does all this really mean for the City of St. Louis? It means that a region with so many levels of government will continue to have narrow and parochial views about what is best for their community first and the region second. As long as sprawl continues unchecked, St. Louis City will continue to lose. Population will continue to drain from the city, leaving fewer people to pay the increasing costs for construction and/or maintenance of public facilities and services. If the City of St. Louis is to be at all competitive with surrounding counties and municipalities, it must continue to invest heavily in those programs that both individuals and businesses expect of their local government.

As St. Louis prepares to enter a new millennium, which city will emerge? Will it be the one which has shown a new spirit of cooperation, vision, and activity over the past five years, a spirit that will create the "Most Livable City" in 2010? Or will it be the City that continues to lose population to other areas less troubled by decades old problems and which inevitably will sink even further into the depths of decline and disrepair?

This Consolidated Plan does not seek to answer these questions. All it can do is present the challenges and opportunities which face the City and propose specific recommendations to ensure that those resources which are available to it are used wisely, efficiently, and for the benefit of the community.

In the next chapter of this report, the needs, challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for action are discussed in each of 14 topic areas. These discussions will lay the foundation for the City’s strategies for federal funds for the next five years.