Distinctive

A distinctive St. Louis region will embrace the variety of cities, towns, and neighborhoods that make our communities vibrant and accessible places to live and work. A distinctive region builds upon our unique community characteristics to provide a diversity of places and housing options that support all of our citizens.

Residents consistently voiced their fondness for their community, because of its unique or distinctive characteristics. In many parts of the region, there are stable multi-generational communities with strong family ties and unique neighborhoods that entice young people to remain or return to their roots. However, many communities suffer from lack of services, including restaurants or banks, lack safe conditions for walking, biking, or have limited access to parks or recreation facilities. Many communities lack adequate transportation connections to other parts of the region.

Our distinctive neighborhoods and communities provide the region’s residents with choices about where and how to live. Urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods with varying characteristics enrich the quality of life for the region’s residents. OneSTL partners will work to preserve the character of our local communities, enhance access to transportation opportunities, amenities, and community services, and provide a variety of housing types and affordability to address the diversity of our region’s citizens.