Sophie McAdara — Programs and Operations Manager for Bring It Home, and former City of Bentonville urban planner — is in good traffic this week to discuss just what the heck is going on down in Northwest Arkansas. Bentonville, and neighboring towns, have been part of a regional boom in recent years. National attention has followed, and much praise has been given.

From mountain bike lanes alongside local roads, to robust greenway projects, and urban integration with natural surroundings, the area has begun to foster a unique identity.

Walmart, the University of Arkansas, and others have invested significantly in the livability of the region.

Apologies for any subpar audio — we had to use a backup track for a portion of the episode.

Timeline:

00:00 Sophie McAdara is in good traffic.

04:10 Non-profit developers and community land trusts, explained.

13:14 Sophie's journey into urban planning.

24:15 The growth of Northwest Arkansas.

29:32 Local organizations and partnerships.

32:59 Community feedback in urban development.

35:05 Current NWA transit situation.

37:22 Bentonville bike infrastructure.

43:07 Congress for the New Urbanism and Emerging New Urbanists.

48:14 How to get involved with Emerging New Urbanists.

49:47 Wrapping up.

Further context:

Bring it Home (Sophie's organization).

Emerging New Urbanists.

Ex. of Bentonville bike infrastructure.

Follow Sophie.

Support Sophie's art.

This week, we discuss the potency of urbanism's gateway drug: summer festivals. Culturally, Americans love to frequent farmer's markets, watch fireworks, and attend live arts shows in the park. We often don't realize that these are all functions of a walkable environment (even if often temporary).

Vendor tents are proxies for small shops, food trucks could be permanent neighborhood eateries, and running into friends could be a norm rather than a novelty.

Instead of closing a parking lot or street for one night only, what if we planned our cities to facilitate and prioritize community all year long?

Also: On nostalgia, Pokémon Go, and the Oregon Shakesphere Festival.

Timeline:

00:00 Aly's back.

01:06 Summer festivities and temporary walkability.

02:05 Nostalgia and summertime memories.

02:47 Pokemon Go and gamified outdoor activities.

07:49 Urbanism and community events.

12:18 Navigating festivals and parking challenges.

22:45 Festival fatigue and urban living.

27:07 Our upcoming trip to Ashland, Oregon.

30:03 Wrapping up.

Eric Kronberg — Principal at Kronberg Urbanists + Architects — is in good traffic this week to talk about the mechanics of building better neighborhoods. Are family units have gotten smaller, while our home sizes have gotten larger. This means less supply, and less opportunity to build more. We get into what makes zoning reform such a powerful tool in evolving this housing dynamic, why parking minimums are the silent killer of affordability, and how small-scale development is the most durable path forward.

Eric translates urbanism into practical action better than anyone — not just through design, but through policy advocacy and development.

His perspective is vital to American urbanism.

We discuss:

00:00 Eric Kronberg is in good traffic.

01:34 From Ohio roots to southern urbanism.

04:25 What zoning actually does (and doesn’t do).

06:25 Parking minimums, explained.

11:27 Visual storytelling in policy change.

21:04 Household size, square footage, and the housing crisis.

28:22 Why Atlanta’s growth patterns matter nationally.

31:05 Optimistically tackling NIMBY politics.

34:35 How local advocates shape real change.

43:22 On the Incremental Development Alliance.

46:15 Revising ordinances and quick development math.

49:26 What new developers need to learn.

52:18 The promise of an e-bike commute.

Further context:

The household size slide we reference.

Kronberg Urbanists + Architects.

Incremental Development Alliance.

Inc Codes.

Follow Eric on LinkedIn.