REIMAGINE THE TOWN YOU LOVE

How best can we transform our cities and towns with 21st century design ideals that put community and lifestyle first and cars second? Block, Street & Building put that question to city planners via the Arkansas Times Blog and the Arkansas Municipal League, initiating a competition of ideas to create walkable, livable spaces where commercial and residential needs co-exist, and dozens responded with their ideas.

From those, 10 projects were named the best by a jury made up of members of the Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri chapters of the American Planning Association. (The contestants were kept anonymous during the judging phase.)

Entries were judged on several criteria, including the quality of the project description; how the projects related to their surroundings; walkability; how the projects were scaled and landscaped to attract the public; and how feasible it would be to bring the projects to fruition.

The winners will be featured in a session of the Arkansas Municipal League’s 89th Annual Convention, June 14-16.

The 10 projects follow.