Creative Corridor Plan Puts Little Rock on the Urban Design Map

Marlon Blackwell, architect and department head of the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, and Steve Luoni, director of the University of Arkansas Community Design Center, recently unveiled their ambitious plans for a new cultural corridor along Little Rock's Main Street. Made possible through a $150,000 Our Town Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the plan hinges "on a series of art anchors," and utilizes "choking" techniques for slowing traffic and allowing the creation of more pedestrian space.

Though the plan has been well-received, Little Rock Mayor Stodola asserts that it will depend on the availability of private funding to move forward, alluding to the possibility of including non-art related tenants, as well. The next steps involve moving forward with demonstration projects using EPA funding. The plan is also broken down into four implementation phases which include: creating gateways for the development, the formation of a new central core with skyscraper ambitions, the buffering of edges with landscaping, and finally, the introduction of a transit district. The Creative Corridor plan will be available on the city's website, as well as in book format soon.