Illustration by Joel Kimmel
Last year, Forbes published an article titled “The Unprecedented Pace of Change.” It noted the dramatic ways in which work, shopping, and health care had shifted online. The story shared the observations of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella from May 2020, shortly after the onset of the pandemic: “We’ve seen two years’ worth of digital transformation in two months.”
Likewise, it was eye-opening to look back at the last time that we wrote about reasons to love St. Louis, just three years ago. At the time, we’d reflected on how the region had evolved since a similar feature a decade earlier. “A lot’s changed since that time,” we wrote in 2018, noting new restaurants, the then-forthcoming aquarium, and our burgeoning startup scene.” Yet we also observed that some things hadn’t changed. “At the same time,” we added, “the past decade has illuminated old tensions and fault lines.”
Then 2020 arrived. It’s difficult to overstate the impact of that year. As the pandemic took its toll, health care providers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators worked tirelessly to find new solutions. “Pivot” became an everyday phrase as companies went remote, restaurants moved to patios and pickup, and trails and parks saw a dramatic resurgence.
At the same time, in May 2020, the police killing of George Floyd sparked renewed calls for equity, with protesters of all ages and races marching. New leaders took office locally and nationally. Ferguson elected its first Black mayor, Ella Jones. Protester-turned-politician Cori Bush defeated longtime legislator Lacy Clay to become the first Black woman to represent Missouri in Congress. And early the next year, Tishaura Jones became the first Black woman to serve as mayor of St. Louis. Today, candid conversations about racial justice are taking place in courtrooms, classrooms, and boardrooms.
St. Louisans are working to address inequities and help less fortunate neighbors in other ways as well. Food banks and local nonprofits have served millions of meals to help combat food insecurity. The city is embracing Afghan refugees in need of a home. And a Florissant bakery hosted a wildly successful pop-up to help raise funds for a 10-year-old girl with a rare condition.
And despite the persistent pandemic, we’re beginning to see traction in other ways. The geospatial sector continues to evolve. Much-anticipated developments—City Foundry STL in Midtown, The District in Chesterfield—have finally opened their doors. And the soccer stadium is taking shape at the heart of the city.
To think how far we’ve come in a few years, in large part out of necessity, it’s hard to comprehend how St. Louis might look in another decade. As another Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates, once said, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in 10 years.”
