Speaker Says Northwest Arkansas Street Design Outdated And Needs Innovative Change

Expert Says Standards Outdated...

FAYETTEVILLE -- Cities and their transportation systems are being designed using an outdated and economically unsustainable model, and Chuck Marohn said that needs to change.

"Engineers need to stop acting stupid," said the president and co-founder of Strong Towns. "They are great problem solvers, but they are being asked to solve the wrong problems."

Web Watch

Strong Towns

www.strongtowns.org

Marohn is an engineer and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. In 2008, he helped found Strong Towns, a not-for-profit organizations to help American communities become financially strong and resilient. Strong Towns is based in Brainerd, Minn.

Marohn spoke to a group of about 160 people Thursday at a workshop where he discussed strategies to improve city budgets, strengthen local tax bases and reduce taxpayer burden to city and county leaders and community groups concerned about quality of life.

The event was sponsored by the Applied Sustainability Center at the University of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas' Center for Community and Economic Development.

"We had a good cross-section of decision makers who need to be on the same page attend the workshop," said Michelle Halsell, director of the Applied Sustainability Center. The center's mission is to accelerate sustainability education and get Arkansas communities and organizations to expand their commitments to sustainable practices.

Halsell said it's important for leaders to look at things in a different way and try new approaches.

Road and street design is an area needing a new approach, Marohn said.

Roads are meant to move traffic quickly through an area while a street is a platform for creating and capturing wealth, he said. Streets should be welcoming to pedestrians and encourage their interaction with businesses.

A main problem are an abundance of street/road hybrids, he said.

"They are trying to do two things at once and are doing neither well," he said. These hybrids are wide, congested streets that make it hard to stop at businesses lining the road.

Marohn said the road model that has become the standard is called the Forgiving Design. They are wider, flat and smooth with wide shoulders.

A new movement under way is called Complete Street. It centers around designs providing safe access for everyone including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders.

"Engineers will gladly build Complete Streets because they can keep their same value system," Marohn said.

He added a new design model needs to go one step further. He proposed a process he called Shared Spaces that creates streets designed for both pedestrian and vehicle traffic. The urban design model often has narrower streets without curbs or road markings.

"When we design places around people we create great value," he said.

Halsell pointed to the design of Fayetteville's Dickson Street as an example that worked locally. The narrow street has a lot of traffic, but it moves slowly and smoothly to accommodate pedestrians visiting the entertainment area.

Jeremy Pate, Fayetteville development services director, said the workshop will help him rethink the way the city invests in infrastructure projects. He said it's important to create an environment built for people and not just cars.

"We consider ourselves progressive, but we still have a lot of room for improvement," he said.

Fayetteville did a Block Avenue enhancement project between Dickson and Spring streets in 2010 that narrowed the street to one lane and widened sidewalks.

Beau Thompson, a Bentonville city planner, said creating walkable neighborhoods is something the city started with its master plan in 2007.

A focus area now is creating a traffic system along Southwest Regional Airport Boulevard that doesn't become a hybrid road, he said.

The city is also building sidewalks to connect neighborhoods to North Walton Boulevard to make the road more welcoming to pedestrians, he said.

The Walton Family Foundation also sent representatives to the workshop to get ideas to help the philanthropic group and its grantees keep Northwest Arkansas strong and resilient, said Kevin Thornton, senior communications officer.

One of the foundation's focus areas is enhancing the quality of life in the region.

The foundation helped pay for the Razorback Regional Greenway, a 36-mile trail running from north Bentonville to south Fayetteville. The trail is scheduled to be done early next year.

Thornton said the trail connects communities and creates an economic development opportunity for the region.

"Part of what makes Northwest Arkansas so great is the culmination of the region's natural beauty, cultural amenities, access to the arts, its vibrant downtowns and communities who work together to make big things happen," he said. "As the area continues to grow, coordinated regional planning will be essential to maintaining that sense of place."

NW News on 04/04/2014

Upcoming Events