Led by internationally recognized economic development expert Bruce Katz, New Localism Associates just released an updated version of the STL 2030 Jobs Plan. The STL 2030 Jobs Plan, the first metrowide jobs plan in over a decade, provides a 10-year road map for boosting economic growth, increasing the number of quality, living-wage jobs, and reducing racial disparities in employment and wealth-generation to boost opportunities for all.
The STL 2030 Jobs Plan recommends five actionable strategies to drive growth: (1) Steward an Inclusive Economy; (2) Restore the Core of St. Louis as the Jobs and Cultural Center of the Metropolis; (3) Build a World-Class Ecosystem for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs; (4) Become a Talent Engine and Magnet; and (5) Make St. Louis a Hub for Next-Generation Industries and Technologies.
In December 2020, Katz released a draft for public review and feedback. Over the course of nearly five months, residents from across the region shared their views, ideas and suggestions. Thousands participated in public meetings, one sponsored by The St. Louis American and 5 On Your Side, and dozens of feedback sessions with individual groups and organizations.
“Without a doubt, the extensive public dialogue and feedback from across the metro made this jobs plan stronger,” Katz said. “St. Louisans told us which ideas resonated most strongly, where the draft plan had gaps, and which recommendations needed additional thought and explanation. Perhaps most importantly, we learned which topics were of greatest concern to St. Louis residents.”
“Stewarding inclusive growth must be a top priority for our region,”
– Valerie Patton
Based on public feedback, Katz and his team made substantial revisions to the initial draft. One of the most significant changes included enhancing clarity and context around the definition and goals of inclusive growth. The revised draft recommends five top-line goals, which require further discussion and feedback. They are: (1) grow the number of quality jobs in the metro; (2) strengthen employer commitment to buy, hire and invest locally; (3) boost employment density and rejuvenation of the urban core; (4) increase the number of Black workers with quality jobs; and (5) expand entrepreneurship opportunities for Black and Brown residents. Katz and his team also reinforced the focus on the entire metro area and its assets, clarified the geography of the urban core, and highlighted the importance of arts and culture, among other revisions.
In addition to the revised plan by Katz, Greater St. Louis, Inc. prepared a foreword to share additional context on the feedback process and respond to questions, comments and suggestions raised, specifically involving the plan’s implementation. The foreword was authored by several senior executives of Greater St. Louis, Inc., including Valerie Patton, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, and President, Greater St. Louis Foundation. “Stewarding inclusive growth must be a top priority for our region,” Patton said. “As we move forward, we must stay focused on increasing the number of quality jobs in our metro, while also closing the racial and spatial disparities that have held St. Louis back for far too long. With clarity, focus and intention, I am confident our metro can make great strides by 2030, but we know the work to achieve social and racial justice and economic opportunity must be ongoing.”
With the revised STL 2030 Jobs Plan now released, the focus turns to implementation. For some strategies – such as Supply STL, which calls for metro-area anchors to use their purchasing power to drive growth and job creation in local small businesses, with particular focus on Black, Brown and/or women-owned firms – Greater St. Louis, Inc. will convene and lead.
The next decade presents a transformative opportunity for St. Louis to become the global center of excellence in the geospatial industry, with cutting-edge advances in fields from precision agriculture to climate science to public health.
“The STL 2030 Jobs Plan reinforces key findings from the GeoFutures Strategic Roadmap, which centered inclusive growth as a core principle from the outset and is already delivering promising new initiatives by organizations like Harris-Stowe State University and Maxar Technologies to create opportunities for Black residents in this growing industry,” said Andy Dearing, Project Lead of GeoFutures, an initiative of Greater St. Louis, Inc.
“The STL 2030 Jobs Plan calls for industry-led workforce collaboratives as a key priority, and we are organizing to do just that,” said Nicole Adewale, Principal and Co-Founder of ABNA Engineering. “Leaders created Access Point by reverse-engineering the traditional workforce pipeline starting with the identification of available entry level IT jobs and then aligning those needs with High School and Higher Education curriculum. This will accelerate inclusive growth and shorten the path to technology jobs. The pilot of 25 students underway right now will expand to hundreds next year and help transform how we grow the diverse workforce of the future.”
