How Do You Like Your Public Space, Grilled Or Fried?

I am currently on charrette in Bryant, Arkansas. As a brief primer, Bryant is located approximatley 15 miles to the southwest of Little Rock and is currently the fastest growing city in the state. This is mostly due to a its proximity to major employment centers and its thriving LEED certified school system. Though I could regurgitate a slew of citizen comments regarding the city's lack of communal space and the recent impoverishiment of its public realm, the picture and brief explantation below says it all. Photo Courtesy of Matt Lambert

2 minute read

July 19, 2007, 10:01 PM PDT

By Mike Lydon


I am currently on charrette in Bryant, Arkansas. As a brief primer, Bryant is located approximatley 15 miles to the southwest of Little Rock and is currently the fastest growing city in the state. This is mostly due to a its proximity to major employment centers and its thriving LEED certified school system. Though I could regurgitate a slew of citizen comments regarding the city's lack of communal space and the recent impoverishiment of its public realm, the picture and brief explantation below says it all.


Bryant Chik-Fil-A

Photo Courtesy of Matt Lambert

After leaving the charrette studio on Wednesday evening, our team noticed the not yet open Chick-Fil-A was the happening spot in town. Nearly 200 people, young and old, were blasting music in the parking lot with tents, BBQ grills, kiddie pools, frisbees, and footballs. Utterly stunned by the goings on, we later learned that the Chik-Fil-A'ers started showing up at 7am that morning and were in full tailgate mode by noon. Apparently, the hype was caused by a marketing promotion giving the first one hundred people in the new Bryant store free food once a week for a year. Although the promise of free food surely lured these people together, it became apparent upon closer inspection that the food was almost secondary. Rather, the restaurant opening gave the good people of Bryant a reason to come together in a place that was neither home nor work. For 24 hours the Chick-Fil-A was the great third place for Bryant.

Though I could easily launch into a Kunstlerian diatribe here, I think its best to leave this one as is.


Mike Lydon

Mike Lydon is a Principal of The Street Plans Collaborative, an award-winning planning, design, and research-advocacy firm based in Miami, New York City, and San Francisco. Mike is an internationally recognized planner, writer, and advocate for livable cities. His work has appeared in The New York Times, NPR, ABC News, CNN Headline News, City Lab, and Architect Magazine, amongst other publications. Mike collaborated with Andres Duany and Jeff Speck in writing The Smart Growth Manual, published by McGraw-Hill in 2009.

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