Townscaping an Automobile-Oriented Fabric; Farmington, Ark.

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Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

Courtesy University of Arkansas Community Design Center

This 5,000-person bedroom community was once a center of farming and agriculture, but today it is divided by a busy, five-lane arterial road. The plan incrementally retrofits the community by condensing infrastructure updates—such as the introduction of traffic roundabouts and public art—into a series of nodes that provide this car-centric town with a more vibrant pedestrian experience.

Jury: “This plan proves that a place laid out originally for cars can be adapted to a future where people are connected in other ways.”

Client: “The National Endowment for the Arts is always interested in projects that improve the liveability of communities. I believe this plan has elements and lessons for other communities, and it’s a model for places that are auto-dependent and for the idea of retrofitting suburbia. This is a great project and we’re proud to be a part of it.” —Jason Schupbach, director of design, National Endowment for the Arts