The Actors

How can we characterize the players involved in Blairmont? Will we receive insight into their intentions? I am taking an Independent Study course at UMSL. One of the books, Keep Out by Sandy Plotkin, proposes a potential explanation. This book illustrates conflict over land use controls by looking at various actors, their motivations, as well as historical and theoretical explanations.

In the first chapter we are introduced to the main categories of developers, the Central City lobbies and the generally smaller yet more "radical" suburban lobbies. According to Plotkin, the former generally favors strict land use controls and comprehensive planning which keep development in the core while restricting development in the hinterlands. This group is supported by the private and public sector Big City power elite. Finally, this group is generally against the subsidy of highways, utility lines, or other forms of infrastructure when expanding away from the core as this supports sprawl.

The suburban lobby extols the market and will support extremely loose land use controls while standing against comprehensive planning. Notably, when these actors are blocked by central city interests, they will break off from the central city, incorporate, and form their own self-serving policies. In effect, "...by favoring the municipal incorporation of outlying housing developments, and the creation of special utility districts that can be financed outside central-city budgetary controls, suburban property capitalists increase the fragmentation of local authority which then frustrates centralized corporate coordination." Tiebout promotes fragmentation since it increases public choice, however Plotkin asserts that fragmentation promotes the power struggle between suburban and rural actors.

This book was written in 1987, thus I am not confident that the Big City lobby exists as described, at least in St. Louis. Our region is extremely fragmented virtually lacking any comprehensive planning, therefore I cannot look to any private entity as having the Central City in mind. Perhaps I am wrong and these developers do exist yet the suburban lobby overshadows their influence? Maybe the Central City lobby, at least in St. Louis, died out a long time ago as sprawl became the "public choice" preferred by the population?

How do we characterize the McKee's? They obviously profited greatly developing suburbia, yet Paul McKee Jr. is the Chairman of the biggest employer in the City of St. Louis. Does Paul McKee Jr. have the interest of the Central City at mind, at least in terms of development and attracting business, or is he simply Chairman of BJC for the return? Are the McKee's looking to develop Old North St. Louis because they are a community stakeholder, or are they doing this because they have reached their limit in the suburbs? Perhaps they wish to diversify due to a potential oil crisis which could cause the population to re-urbanize? Finally, maybe they will coordinate development with the partial closure of Highway 40, thus fostering the growth of suburbia within the decaying urban core? Increased travel time may promote re-urbanization especially when McMansion's exist in exclusionary neighborhoods like Winghaven East! No reason to drive so far when the comforts of home are so near!

The answers are hidden behind a veil of deception.