Civic leaders are looking for input on how the St. Louis region can be more successful.
The “Where We Stand” report is put together by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments about every five years. Its findings on how the region stacks up when it comes to factors like transportation, health access, education and civic engagement are used to help determine where local governments should focus their efforts.
This year, the results will include data collected from responses to a regionwide survey. East-West Gateway spokesperson Nancy Cambria said it will help civic leaders be more dynamic in how they address community issues.
"The future of planning is this engagement aspect of it: really understanding that yes, we have a limited pool of money, we have these types of resources available, but are there innovative ways to kind of look at those things, given what we're hearing from our own residents,” she said.
The survey can be completed online at this link and will be open through the end of July. It is seeking feedback from residents of St. Louis, Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, Madison, Monroe and St. Clair counties, and the City of St. Louis.
“We do have very different perspectives in our region,” said Cambria. “The impact of what happens out in Metro East really might have an impact in Clayton or St. Charles County. Regionally, if you look at a situation, you might be able to kind of have a solution that everybody works on together.”
Respondents will be asked about what brought them to the metro, their household demographics and how they define regional success. Quality of life will be assessed based on rankings of factors like safety and security, housing availability and recreational opportunities.
The council also seeks to go beyond political differences and perceptions to address hyperlocal quality-of-life questions.
“[The survey] makes them think about their own personal experience and how it relates to policy,” said Cambria. “Perhaps we're getting stuck in arguments that are very systemic nationwide. What can we find that we can really channel as uniquely our own, both as an asset or areas that we can address?”
The council aims to publish the new “Where We Stand” report by the end of the year.
