Tony Chiado

As a kid, I didn’t know much about cities. My family spent some time in Seattle, but not enough for me to orient myself much. My first real taste of cities was at the University of Washington. And even there, you were still on a college campus. It was still different. I grew something of a love for architecture, mostly for older buildings, and the ability to walk to all one’s needs.

In 2018, I moved to Saint Louis, MO to begin teaching. While most outsiders might not think of it as a poster child of urbanism, I was attracted to the city because of some great blogs that highlighted the city’s greatness - the late Steve Patterson’s UrbanReviewSTL, Mark Groth’s St. Louis City Talk, NextSTL, and Chris Naffziger’s St. Louis Patina really stand out.

In Saint Louis, I realized just how much beauty there was in cities. I explored every corner, read every book, talked to every historian that I could. I have thousands and thousands of pictures on my phone and camera, and I still think about the historical value each parcel in that city held.

In that history, I also recognized the beauty of the present and the potential of the future that cities hold. From Saint Louis to Seattle, the potential for re-densifying cities in inclusive and sustainable ways exists. And not only does that potential exist, we have a mandate to realize that future. Our society and the Earth we steward depends on healthy, thriving cities that serve the needs of all residents and guests alike.

So here, I write about the urbanism that the future’s potential promises.