Book excerpt: With almost 100 municipalities, the largest of which is also its own county, the structure of local government in St. Louis is indeed unique and is one of the most frequently discussed and debates topics in the region. Critics claim its duplicated services are a wasteful use of resources while supporter praise the convenience afforded by numerous small city governments. Written by local political science scholar, E. Terrence Jones, Fragmented By Design is the first book to fully chronicle the development of this structure and its implications for the St. Louis region.