What We Can Do for Ourselves

I support the sentiment here. I think this would need to be paired with more legislation that further holds negligent land speculators accountable for when they repeatedly fail to do their part to keep neighborhoods clean. As you are probably aware, this is especially an issue in the Northside. Besides this, I agree the city should definitely consider ways to assist residents with home improvement, and I have a solution that has been used in some neighborhoods: tool libraries. (See here: https://sustainableconsumption.usdn.org/initiatives-list/tool-lending-libraries) The city website discusses tool libraries under the "Sustainability Toolkit," but that seems to be where the city's involvement with tool libraries ends, but the city could stand to do more. (See here: https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/planning/sustainability/toolkit/community-tool-library.cfm) If the city funded tool libraries (and better advertised them), we could possibly get closer to your vision. Many city residents may not have the means to purchase all the tools needed to make certain repairs, but if a tool library is located near them, they would not need to always purchase new tools to repair their homes and neighborhoods. Below are a few local examples of tool libraries in the city and region. (1) The former Cherokee Street Tool Library: https://www.facebook.com/cherokeestreettool/ (2) The Shaw Tool Library: https://www.shawtoollibrary.com/ (3) St. Louis County Library of Things: https://www.slcl.org/books-emedia-more/library-of-things Thank you for sharing your idea Kellie!