• The hard work of New Urbanism, on the ground in Northwest Arkansas

    John McCurdy, director of community development for the city of Rogers, describes the pressure felt by CNU 34's host region to absorb growth, maintain character, and provide a better way of life for residents. The answer? The hard work of New Urbanism.
    New Urbanism has shown that it can produce better streets, neighborhoods, and civic places. The harder question is whether it can shape growth at the regional scale in ways that give great places a fighting chance; something felt acutely across the Northwest Arkansas region. If New Urbanism is to...Read more

  • Adaptive reuse of extraordinary impact

    The 1907 Block in Rogers, Arkansas, catalyzed the redevelopment of downtown and established the city as a culinary hub. High Street Real Estate & Development won a 2026 CNU Charter Award in The Block, Street, and Building category.
    The 1907 Block is embedded in a vibrant downtown, the revitalization of which it helped to launch. The developers saved a historically important but dilapidated building in Rogers, Arkansas, and constructed two new, context-appropriate residential buildings. With three James Beard Foundation...Read more

  • Cute cottages fit context, landscape, and budget

    South Street Cottages in Fayetteville, Arkansas, combine quality and design efficiency to make custom infill housing affordable. Range Co. won a 2026 CNU Charter Award in The Block, Street, and Building category.
    The South Street Cottages in Fayetteville, Arkansas, deliver small-scale, high-quality urban infill. By holistically developing and designing every detail of the neighborhood ensemble—from architecture and interiors to gardens and site planning—they blend quality and efficiency on a site just over...Read more

  • District transformation starts with streets, blocks

    La Plaza District looks like many suburban commercial areas, but a new street plan would enable incremental change into a mixed-use, walkable downtown gateway.
    La Plaza District in Rogers, Arkansas, looks similar, in many ways, to a thousand other suburban commercial districts—situated at the crossroads of two arterial roads. Around the 8 th and Walnut streets intersection are large strip malls—including one that used to house the nation’s first Walmart—...Read more