The St. Louis region is made up of eight counties, nearly 200 municipalities and 2.7 million citizens. The region continues to rank in the top three nationally for overall number of local governments and for the ratio of local governments to population. The average number of units of local governments for the 35 largest metropolitan areas is 379; St. Louis has 884. Numerous reports and surveys completed during this process show that regional fragmentation, municipal competitiveness, and lack of regional coordination are among the top concerns in the St. Louis area.
Despite these challenges, many municipalities have experienced recent successes in collaboration. University City, an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis County, for example, has recently collaborated with neighbors on two separate, cross-jurisdictional plans. 
The Cortex District is an example of the region's economic resilience.University City worked with the City of Olivette and an Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) for a cross-jurisdictional commercial development plan for Olive Boulevard. They also worked with the City of St. Louis on a HUD-funded plan for the Delmar Loop and Parkview Gardens Neighborhood that has resulted in $160 million of new rehab and construction.
In addition, numerous public-private partnerships in the region have helped to leverage local resources. For example, local universities have invested in the neighborhoods that surround their campuses, playing an instrumental role in neighborhood stabilization and improvement. Trailnet, a bicycle advocacy organization and OneSTL partner, has worked with 13 local governments to complete municipal bike and pedestrian plans. Furthermore, grass roots initiatives such as those represented by Rally St. Louis also have the potential to create and advance a collective will around the way our emerging entrepreneurs envision the region of the future.
