Fayetteville 2030: Transit City Scenario | University of Arkansas Community Design Center

As a complement to Fayetteville’s 2030 City Plan, a 2030 Transit City Scenario Plan independently models a future based on development of a streetcar system. While city planning is generally future-oriented, scenario planning models specific futures from the insistent exploration of a particular driver through “what if” propositions. Scenario planning helps the community envision plausible planning possibilities that would not have emerged from charrettes and similar participation processes. We ask: what if 80% of future growth was incented to locate around a street car system proposed for Fayetteville’s main urban arterial? The city could create a five-mile signature multi-modal transit boulevard, transforming underperforming development into mixed-use transit-oriented neighborhoods. The post-carbon sustainable city will be based on multi-modal transportation systems that support passenger rail and walkable neighborhoods in tandem with the automobile, and our objective was to prepare such a model for a five-mile segment between the downtown/university district and the regional shopping mall at the city’s edge. Akin to the early 20th century streetcar cities, built at 7-14 dwelling units per acre, our plan updates the role of rail transit in reforming land uses for small town markets. Jury Comments The premise of this project is very forward-thinking. There is a great appreciation for the comprehensive scope of this project as well as the clear visualization of the character of the public space within the scale of infrastructure. The preservation of the rural character of the existing town as well as the addition of the more modern elements has been masterfully handled.