QUARTERLY SPRING 2019
SHIFTING VIEWS ON BIKING
RYAN HALE WORKS FOR AN INCLUSIVE BIKE ECOSYSTEM
FOR THE BIRDS
ECO MODERN FLATS WELCOMES FEATHERED FRIENDS
SLOW YOUR ROLL
FAYETTEVILLE’S NEW CASUAL MONTHLY RIDE WELCOMES ALL
A NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF SPECIALIZED REAL ESTATE GROUP COMMUNITIES
MOVING TOGETHER
SPRING BRINGS BIKING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL OF US
It’s May. Flowers are blooming, patio weather is finally here, and it’s National Bike Month! Northwest Arkansas has an incredible wealth of resources for people on bikes. This issue offers encouragement to all of us to get out and get moving — even if you haven’t been on a bike in a while. We spotlight Slow Roll, a series of casual rides in Fayetteville with routes handpicked for beginners. Slow Roll even provides free loaner bikes, along with prizes and snacks. All you need to bring is you! Our feature story gets a little philosophical. In an interview, Ryan Hale, the founder of bike consultancy LaneShift, challenges us to humanize bike riding. He gets into the nuts and bolts of his practice by lifting the curtain on his role in creating Brick Avenue Lofts, which opens this spring in Bentonville. Ryan also gives us three tips for getting started in riding as part of daily life. One great way to reinforce your resolution to ride more — sign up for the National Bike Challenge, which spans the whole month of May. Individuals and company teams participate by logging rides. Even short ones count. Sign up at lovetoride. net/nw-arkansas/ and watch Team Specialized go for the gold! Hope to see you out on the trail this spring!
— Specialized Real Estate Group
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Ryan Hale of LaneShift points out proposed bike routes
DID YOU KNOW? There’s a monthly casual bike ride in Fayetteville, and you don’t even have to have a bike to take part! Meet Slow Roll. It’s a group bike ride through neighborhood streets. The point is not to race, but to relax and enjoy good company and good vibes. Rides will be scheduled every month through October. Find the full schedule at facebook.com/bikefayetteville
? e k i b a e v a h t ’ Don a e d i R ! y r r o w t ’ n Do e k i b m u i m e r p e d i VeoR for free. share bike
Slow Roll participants rolling on the TSA-LA-GI Trail
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Calling bike users
instead of cyclists is an important shift that humanizes biking.
story b� Sarah King
B
rick Avenue Lofts, a new 252-unit apartment development in Downtown Bentonville, opens this spring. From the earliest planning stages, Ryan Hale, founder of Laneshift, has advised the SREG development team on how to make the property more bike friendly and to expand existing bike infrastructure in the city. Connection Quarterly sat down with Ryan to talk about his role in creating Brick Avenue and his work to make cycling more accessible and inclusive. CQ: You founded Laneshift in 2017. What does the name Laneshift signify? RH: Our name and brand really embodies both a physical shift that we can make within our cities and developments to more active forms of mobility as well as an essential shift in thinking and perspectives. As a country we have been hyper-focused on a singular mode of transportation and now preferences are shifting. Many people are seeking alternative and active ways to move to work, to school and for play. Laneshift exists to help others broaden their perspectives through intentional and mindful planning and education. CQ: You’ve challenged us to think of “people on bikes” rather than “cyclists.” Why is this distinction important? RH: When we hear the word cyclist a certain image comes to mind. Typically this image is of an aggressive rider wearing Lycra, riding a high value bike and charging down the road. While that may be fun
4 • SPECIALIZED REAL ESTATE GROUP
photos b� Zac Trout and is an important part of a healthy bike ecosystem it is simply not reality or even achievable for most of us. An opportunity exists to shift our thinking and even how we refer to bike users. This slight shift can play a major role in creating more inclusive bike networks and ecosystems. There are infinite reasons why we choose to ride a bike. Bike riding can be a way to be active, have fun and for many is a key tool to connect them to resources, jobs, relationships and community. Referencing bike users as a “person on a bike” or “people on bikes” instead of as a “cyclist” is a subtle but important shift that helps to make each user more real and is a practical way to humanize biking. CQ: Laneshift has been part of Brick Avenue Lofts since the early planning phases. Please tell us about your role in creating the project. RH: Our main role within the Brick Ave project was to act as the Mobility consultant. This involved providing insights and consulting that identified opportunities and obstacles in activating and encouraging residents to choose to walk or bike. A focus on stimulating an active lifestyle and moving people was the core of our involvement with Brick Ave. Lofts. An active lifestyle can often become challenging when too many obstacles are present. A few of these obstacles are weather, lack of safe infrastructure, lack of awareness, and perceived safety. Laneshift and the design team collaborated on methods to reduce the obstacles that may prevent a person from choosing an active form of mobility over a single occupancy vehicle. By presenting viable options and reducing and
BIKING FOR THE REST OF US
Ryan’s tips to get you rolling 1. Start small.
eliminating certain barriers the design team sought to help residents and guests of Brick Ave. choose more active forms of mobility as a first option for transportation, not just for recreation. Laneshift helped provide insights on the overall circulation plan for vehicles, bikes and pedestrians for the site, identified best in class bike parking and storage systems, bike maintenance tools, a bike and pet wash station as well as a bike fleet which includes both pedal powered and ebikes. CQ: What do we stand to gain from biking more? RH: There is now an abundance of case studies and evidence highlighting the positive impact that bikes can have on a person, a development, a city and a region. These benefits include improvements to our health, our environment, our economies as well as our overall quality of life. For instance, a recent study commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation showed that Northwest Arkansas realizes a $137 million annual economic benefit that is directly related to bikes. This equates to $86 million in direct health benefits and another $51 million in business benefit through tourism, restaurants, and retail. Those numbers are hard to argue with. In short bikes allow us to connect in a deeper way with our community, get active and improve our quality of life.
Read more at specializedreg.com/people-on-bikes
If biking is not a part of your regular routine, don’t try to take on too much all at once or set unrealistic goals. Start small by choosing to replace one or two short trips per month that you would normally take by car with a bike ride. This can be running to the grocery store, dropping by the post office or riding to a local restaurant for dinner. Simply trade what would normally be a car ride with a bike ride. Once you are able to meet those goals for a few months in a row, slowly increase the number of trips you replace over time. You will feel better physically and have a sense of accomplishment.
2. Be consistent.
If you have not ridden in a while or it’s not a part of your regular routine it will take you a while to build up your strength and endurance. Taking up a new physical activity is hard for the majority of us. That said, keep at it and be consistent by sticking to your goals and slowly increasing those over time. Consistency will build strength and increase endurance which will allow you to travel further than you ever thought possible.
3. Don’t stress about special equipment or gear.
All it takes to get riding more is a bike. Don’t overthink your attire. Just get on the bike and ride to your destination. If the weather is not cooperating, plan to ride again when things are better. Many beginning riders can get caught up in looking the part and can get sticker shock when trying to purchase specialized gear. Don’t overthink it or worry about what others may or may not think. Get on a bike and go.
CONNECTION QUARTERLY • SPRING 2019 • 5
COMMUNITY EVENTS
SQUARE TO SQUARE RIDE May 18th This twice-annual ride keeps getting bigger as folks discover the joy of riding the 30 miles from the Fayetteville Square to the Bentonville Square. Staggered start times, generous aid stations along the way, and a shuttle back to the start are included. This is a favorite of Team SREG, and a great chance to take advantage of the Moving Together Challenge (details on this page)
PIG TRAIL RUN June 1st
REJUVENATED MEDICAL SPA GRAND OPENING The latest addition to Uptown Fayetteville, Rejuvenated Medical Spa is throwing a grand opening party on May 9, with an open house all day. Starting at 5pm, enjoy food from Burton’s Creamery, Con Quesos, Juice Palm, and Wright’s Barbeque. Yoga ELXR, Orange Theory, and lululemon will be offering pop-up classes, there’ll be live music and lots of giveaways and specials, too! Details at rejuvenatedmedspa.com
This muddy 5K takes you through an undeveloped, rustic area of Springdale. The course features extreme hills, underbrush and lots of trees, a stream bed and ponds. And that’s before you factor in the ultra-challenging obstacles you’ll have to navigate. Check it out at pigtrailmudrun.org and let us know if you’d like to join the SREG team!
MOVING TOGETHER CHALLENGE GRAB A TRAINING BUDDY & WE WILL PAY YOUR REGISTRATION FEES!
Any two (or more) SREG tenants or employees: Train for a race or ride together, and we’ll pay you each $30 toward your registration fees. WEDNESDAY WILDFLOWER WALKS Wednesdays throughout the summer The Ozark Chapter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society offers the chance to explore favorite local places with a knowledgeable guide who will identify wildflowers along the way. Explore Mt. Sequoyah Woods on May 8 and World Peace Wetland Prairie on May 15. Both are easy walks in Fayetteville from 6pm to dark. See facebook.com/ocanps for the full schedule of walks. 6 • SPECIALIZED REAL ESTATE GROUP
Fill out the form at: specializedreg.com/movingtogether
Tag your race day photo with #sregmovingtogether and we will mail you each a check for $30!
BIRD FRIENDLY ECO MODERN FLATS While Specialized is most known for creating habitats for humans, we’ve also created a haven for our feathered friends. In February, the Arkansas Audubon Society certified Eco Modern Flats a Gold-Level Bird Friendly Yard. AAS is an organization that works to foster knowledge of the natural history of Arkansas and conserve its natural resources. Eco is the first multifamily property to earn the certification. Learn more at specializedreg.com/bird-friendly-habitat
Building healthy places and connecting neighbors means that we consider not just the qualities of buildings, but the connectedness of the neighborhood surrounding them. A walkable neighborhood with a unique sense of place just feels better. It’s this feeling that we aim to capture in each of our projects.
BUILDING BETTER
EMBRACING NATURE
MOVING TOGETHER
SHARING FOOD
We consider efficiency, beauty and health in every decision we make.
We create opportunities to move—through design, events and service.
We build and conserve places that connect people with nature.
We see growing and sharing food as a vital part of every community we build.
CONNECTION QUARTERLY • SPRING 2019 • 7
15 NORTH CHURCH AVENUE, SUITE 103 FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72701
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ARSAGA’S @ivymaggie
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