A walking and biking trail is being used as a framework for compact, mixed-use growth in Northwest Arkansas, one of the fastest-growing regions in the US. This tool for sustainable development could apply to many regions.
Beyond the battles between NIMBY and YIMBY, a third option— call it “QUIMBY”—offers a promising path forward.
The largest city in Northwest Arkansas, Fayetteville is managing growth by incremental development that is regenerating the city’s urban fabric.
A small city with major urban growth, Bentonville, Arkansas, offers a model for expansion that at the edges that preserves nature and historic small-town identity.
Lexington’s Warehouse Block is the outcome of 40 years of incremental development. It could be a replicable model for cities to recycle old commercial districts into social centers over time.
The Complete Streets movement has largely failed in practice, but a focus on networks and context could make it more effective.

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Better Cities & Towns Archive

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St. Louis-based developer Richard Baron, cofounder, chairman,

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