The St. Louis Policy Initiative: Segregation, Public Health, and Environmental Policy

The St. Louis Policy Initiative: Segregation, Public Health, and Environmental Policy

The St. Louis Policy Initiative brings diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives to study policy in our region. Substantively, our research agendas engage with the most pressing policy challenges in society today. We explore the relationship between racial segregation, political representation, housing policy, public health outcomes, and environmental outcomes in urban cores and their suburbs. Our initiative also serves as a bridge across other St. Louis-focused research projects, as well as research on urban politics more generally. 

We have created two resources to reduce the barriers to studying the region. The St. Louis Data Dashboard is a public-facing repository for regional data that allows non-experts to explore data visualizations and enable experts to obtain, analyze and contribute data. It will lower barriers to studying the region by allowing centralized and easy access to health, environmental, political, and economic data, thereby allowing scholars to readily consider an array of relationships in their analyses.

Secondly, the St. Louis Survey provides a gauge of the region’s political, economic, and social views and the lived experience across these domains. The survey includes a core battery of questions about economic well-being, racial discrimination, health, social engagement, political participation and preferences, and trust in institutions.

Faculty Leads: Matthew Gabel, Scott Krummenacher, and Andrew Reeves