Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 7:30pm - Friday, January 7, 2011 at 1:30am
Majestic Restaurant
4900 Laclede Avenue at Euclid in the Central West End
In January, we will be hosting an informal happy hour at the Majestic, an institution in the Central West End for close to 50 years. Come talk about the new year and share new ideas you have for City Affair topics in 2011.
Thursday, December 2
7:30pm - 9:00pm
Foam Coffee and Beer
3359 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint Louis, MO
On November 2nd, Missouri voters overwhelmingly voted for the passage
of Proposition A, millionaire Rex Sinquefeld's initiative that banned
future municipal earnings taxes and requires St. Louis and Kansas City
voters to approve the continuation of each cf their 1% earnings tax on
residents and those employed in their borders every five years. As
soon as April, voters in both Kansas City and St. Louis will vote to
repeal or ret...ain their city's earnings tax.
At December's City Affair, join us for a spirited discussion when our
panelists and you, the audience, debate the next step in the debate
over the retention of St. Louis's 1% earnings tax. Should we retain
the tax? Should we work for its repeal? What really are the arguments
for and against the 1% earnings tax? How will you vote in April?
Tentatively we have several special speakers/panelists who will join
us to lead the discussion:
Lyda Krewson - Ward 28th Alderwoman
Lisa Selligmann - Architect, Central West End resident
Mike Glodeck (?)- Owner of Foam, small businessman
Stay tuned for longer biographies for each of our panelists, as well
as additional panelists who may join the discussion.
City Affair XX time update:
Moderated by Randy Vines with an Introduction by Matt MourningOctober's event will focus on the LBGTQ community's involvement in revitalizing city neighborhoods. What is St. Louis doing to attract and retain these demographics? What can we do better? How do the communities here compare with those of other major cities? We will tackle these questions and more on October 7.
As the crowning achievement of humanity, cities can be essentially defined by the bonds between people. While development, finance, and culture grab the most attention among urbanists, it is time to examine the public responsibility that underlies urban environments.
Our panelists for the evening will include:Several months ago City Affair took on the topic of some of the future Great Streets of St. Louis. On Thursday, August 5th return with us to Cherokee to hear from several people making Cherokee a Great Street today.
Randy Vines of STL-Style. STL-Style had been operating as an internet-based company for about 9 years before Randy and Jeff Vines made the leap into a storefront, opening Style House at 3155 Cherokee Street. They chose this area for a number of reasons, not the least among them its relative affordability and growing concentration of creative DIY startups.
Kristin Gassel of The St. Louis Curio Shoppe. The Shoppe will carry music, books, crafts, clothing, specialty food products, jewelry, souvenirs, collectibles and assorted other sundries and curiosities all made in the St. Louis area. The Curio Shoppe plans to have a positive impact on our city by supporting local businesses of all sizes and ensuring that a maximum amount of consumer dollars goes directly back to our community.
Juan Montana of Cherokee Photobooth. Opened on Easter weekend this year, Cherokee Photobooth is a unique storefront operation that embraces everything that makes Cherokee Street special-- diverse, creative, fun, gritty, and colorful. Just drop into this unassuming storefront for a fun, quirky photo session custom-suited to your personality.
Matthew Mourning, who writes the blog Dotage will be the moderator for the evening. Matthew returned to St. Louis after completing grad school in New Orleans and has recently become a resident of Cherokee Street.
ARE BLOGS AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF FURTHERING CHANGE IN THE COMMUNITY? DO THEY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT TO SEEK POLITICAL ACTION OR DO THEY SERVE AS A REPLACEMENT FOR MEANINGFUL INVOLVEMENT?
ONE OF THE LARGEST CRITIQUES OF THE CITY OF SAINT LOUIS HAS BEEN THE DEGREE TO WHICH IT HAS DEVELOPED A STERILE AND DEAD DOWNTOWN AREA AND TURNED ITS BACK ON THE RIVERFRONT
While this condition is the legacy of failed midcentury planning and policy, we will continue to struggle if we take the result for granted. Cities around the country are capitalizing on their neglected riverfront areas to catalyze development, attract residents, and bolster tourist economies. In Saint Louis, the channel that slices through downtown disrupts recreational opportunities and depresses the values of adjacent properties. Many strategies have been proposed, but a radical rethinking of downtown may be required.
WHAT IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEANS TO RECONNECT THE CITY STREET GRID TO THE RIVERFRONT, THE ARCH GROUNDS, AND LACLEDE'S LANDING? DO NEW DEVELOPMENTS FINALLY MAKE IT FEASIBLE TO REMOVE THE FORMER INTERSTATE 70 THROUGH DOWNTOWN? 
Is gentrification a problem in Saint Louis?
Gentrification is a loaded term. Literally referring to the process of renovating and improving (esp. a house or district) so that it conforms to middle-class taste, it is entwined with issues of politics, class, and race. How one defines gentrification and whether it is a positive or negative depends on how it has affected you.
City Affair XIII: Transit Advocacy was a marked success
CITY AFFAIR UPDATE
Saint Louis has a better performing and more used transit system than many comparable cities and regions, yet popular opinion continuously sides against Metro. Current events have demonstrated that transit is a vital component of the economy. While the state of Illinois recognizes the importance of transit, Missouri provides 7% as much funding for Metro and ranks 35th nationally for transit funding.
Given these structural issues what can we do to help?
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