Photo: Todd Gill, Fayetteville Flyer
A local group has invited experts from around the country to Fayetteville this week to look for ways to improve the College Avenue corridor.
The Northwest Arkansas Chapter of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will host a workshop Feb. 21-23 that focuses on “the connection between land use decisions and public health outcomes along the 71B corridor.”
As part of the workshop, ULI has brought in six individuals to tour the corridor, meet with local leaders, and interview stakeholders in order to present their findings and make recommendations for improvements at a presentation scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 23 at the Fayetteville Town Center.
Experts include:
Emiko Atherton – Director, National Complete Streets Coalition, Smart Growth America, Washington, DC
Cathy Bennett – Consultant, Housing Initiative & Advisory Services, ULI/Regional Council of Mayors, Minneapolis, MN
Patti Clare – Senior Planner, Neel-Shaffer, Inc., Louisville, KY
Billy Grayson – Executive Director, Center for Sustainability & Economic Performance, ULI, Washington DC
Tommy Pacello – President, Memphis Medical District Collaborative, Memphis, TN
Melani Smith (Chair) – Planning Consultant & Adjunct Faculty, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
The study will focus on College Avenue (state Highway 71B) from Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd to Sycamore Street. The idea, according to organizers, is to “identify quick wins and next steps towards healthy, sustainable and equitable redevelopment along the corridor.”
“As a new chapter of ULI, we were grateful to be awarded this opportunity,” said NLI NWA Chair Jeremy Hudson. “We see the Healthy Corridors initiative as a chance to bring local stakeholders together, connect our land use decision-making processes with public health outcomes, and learn from national thought leaders. We look forward to contributing to continued efforts to revitalize the 71B corridor in Fayetteville and throughout Northwest Arkansas.”
The presentation on Friday is free to attend and open to the public. The program is funded by the Urban Land Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as part of ULI’s Healthy Corridors Program. Fayetteville was selected to participate in the program along with corridors in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, St. Paul, Minnesota, and Englewood, Colorado.
