September 16
Community Idea Exchange
Building Block by Block: Empowering Local Developers
Bernice Radle and Monte Anderson, Neighborhood Evolution
This session is designed to help community leaders understand how development actually works—and how to work more effectively with developers. Participants will be introduced to the fundamentals of incremental development, including deal structure, financing, risk, and neighborhood-scale design, with an emphasis on translating development concepts into clear, shared language. Through practical tools and real-world examples, the session equips leaders to engage productively with local developers, align community goals with financial realities, and support small, context-sensitive projects that can create outsized impact in downtowns and neighborhoods over time.
Developing the “It” Factor: Turning Developers into Placemaking Champions
Ward Davis, High Street Development, and Hannah Ciccioni, CRD Development
This session helps community leaders understand how value is progressively created through place-based commercial, office, and residential development. Participants will explore how placemaking influences market demand, leasing velocity, tenant quality, and long-term asset performance over time. Drawing on real-world projects, the session illustrates how aligning design, experience, and community context can reduce risk, strengthen public–private partnerships, and transform development from isolated projects into enduring places that generate sustained economic and social value.
Unlocking the Missing Middle: Patterns, Policy & Neighborhood-Scale Housing
Matthew Petty, Pattern Zones
This session introduces pattern-based approaches to zoning and development regulation that make Missing Middle housing possible. Participants will explore how neighborhood form, building patterns, and policy work together to support a greater diversity of housing types—without sacrificing community character. The session clarifies how pattern-based codes can simplify regulation, reduce uncertainty, and create the conditions for gentle density, walkable neighborhoods, and housing choice at a neighborhood scale.
Designed to Connect: Parks, Trails & the Economics of Outdoor Place
Danny Collins, Ecological Design Group, and Kalene Griffith, Visit Bentonville
This session explores how parks, trails, and outdoor amenities can serve as powerful economic engines by positioning communities as tourism destinations. Drawing on Ecological Design Group’s multidisciplinary approach and Visit Bentonville’s destination development expertise, the workshop highlights how well-designed public spaces drive economic growth, strengthen mobility networks, and elevate regional identity. Participants will learn how strategic investment in outdoor infrastructure attracts visitors, stimulates private investment, expands access to recreation, enhances environmental performance, and creates a compelling sense of place. By aligning design, economic development, and destination marketing strategies, communities can leverage parks and trail systems not only as quality-of-life assets, but as catalysts for tourism, talent attraction, and long-term regional competitiveness.