About Next Move, St. Louis

A Shared Vision for the Future

Our goal is not simply to develop another plan. It is to create the conditions for the St. Louis region to act together, build momentum, and sustain lasting progress.

Photo: Ella Manthey

What Makes Next Move, St. Louis Different?

It is not another report for the shelf, but a focus on our ambitions, our assets, and how we work together to build a better future. Next Move, St. Louis will achieve this goal through the following:

Focusing on a small number of shared priorities: Next Move, St. Louis, guided by a Steering Committee of regional leaders, will work toward a compelling vision and a focused set of actions for the region where greater alignment and a commitment to action can make a meaningful difference.

Building execution into the plan: Next Move, St. Louis will define clear responsibilities and leadership, measures of progress, and the resources and capacity needed to move priorities from agreement to action. Our goal is to ensure that regional priorities have the leadership, funding, and accountability needed to sustain them over time.

Honesty about assets and challenges: Next Move, St. Louis will build from the region’s authentic strengths while being clear-eyed about the challenges that stand in the way of progress. Regional alignment also requires acknowledging the different interests and perspectives that exist across our communities and institutions. Next Move, St. Louis will create space for honest discussion about where interests align, where they do not, and what it will take to build a durable agreement.

Driving confidence through visible progress: Agreement isn’t enough to sustain collaboration. People need to see that working together delivers results, and that those results benefit the whole region. Next Move, St. Louis will look for early wins that show collective action works, building the trust needed for long-term progress.

Broad & Inclusive Engagement: Bring together leaders from across the St. Louis region — including local officials and partners from business, community development, philanthropy, higher education, innovation, and the arts – to discuss regional challenges and opportunities.

Shared Vision & Action Plan: Establish a compelling regional vision and clear regional priorities to guide investment and create meaningful and lasting impact.

Civic Collaboration & Accountability: Establish an effective model for ongoing, trust-based collaboration and transparent progress tracking across the region.

Key Goals

During its initial phase, Next Move, St. Louis aims to build momentum in three main areas:

Geographic Scope

Next Move, St. Louis focuses on the core bi-state region served by the East-West Gateway Council of Governments which includes the City of St. Louis, as well as Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and St. Louis counties in Missouri; and Madison, Monroe, and St. Clair counties in Illinois.

The effort ultimately aims to engage urban, suburban, and rural communities across the broader St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Leadership and Support

The East-West Gateway Council of Governments and Greater St. Louis, Inc. are joint leaders on this initiative and invite civic, business, and community stakeholders to participate.

A consulting team led by Fourth Economy Consulting—alongside local partners Vector Communications, Urban Impact Advisors, and FOCUS St. Louis—is providing project management and facilitation support. Hullabaloo Agency helped develop the brand.