Historic tax credits are an important tool for the revitalization of downtowns and neighborhoods throughout Arkansas. Since 1976 the Federal Historic Tax Credit program provided a 20% federal tax credit to people who undertake the substantial rehabilitation of a certified historic building for income-producing use. The federal historic tax credit was nearly eliminated during tax reform in 2017. But thanks to coordinated advocacy efforts the tax credit is still in place, with a provision that the 20% credit be taken over a five-year period.

The difference between revitalization and gentrification is not always apparent or easy to discern; most people use the words interchangeably. Revitalization should be a wonderful and glorious process by which an area of the city witnesses actions imbibing and imbedding new life and vitality. Gentrification should be a scary, disgusting and dishonest practice where the poor are displaced and disenfranchised by the wealthy as they take over a neighborhood and remake it in their own image and impose their tastes, beliefs and values.

Growing up in Little Rock, especially during my early teen years, I was quite conscious of the overall makeup of our close-knit neighborhood. It encompassed approximately six city blocks centered around Stephens Elementary School, what we called the “West End.”

Thanks to efforts spearheaded by a local volunteer, Lonoke is now the first community in the state to offer electric vehicle chargers with a grant from the nonprofit Adopt-A-Charger and Entergy. The six EnelX Juicebox chargers were installed in downtown Lonoke to much fanfare in April 2021.

In 2015, Steve Clark founded a nonprofit, 64.6 Downtown, to act as a catalyst for economic development in downtown Fort Smith by inspiring and engaging the community and strategic partners through art, arts education and place-making, as well as the promotion of attractive amenities to accelerate the development of diverse commerce. Named for the number of square miles of the city at the time of its founding, 64.6 Downtown acts as a change agent within the community, working with the city, individuals and businesses to move downtown Fort Smith into an economically viable and artistically diverse community.

Community officials are touting a bold new vision for a section of Pine Bluff’s downtown, a design that would radically change the way the neighborhood looks, feels and functions. The Sixth Avenue District recommendations, a collaborative vision of Go Forward Pine Bluff and Taggart Architects, is the latest step in the city’s sweeping revitalization effort.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed everything, and a lot of things won’t change back. Faced with existential crisis, people have been forced to ask themselves what really matters: connecting (or reconnecting) with family and close friends; taking charge, often for the first time, of our physical and emotional well-being; and devoting time to latent interests like baking, chess or a musical instrument we’ve always been drawn to. Without discounting the devastation the pandemic has brought to so many, I often find myself talking about the pandemic’s silver linings: those quality-of-life improvements that we hope to maintain in the Aftertimes.

In January 2019, a press release announcing the groundbreaking of The Haywood hotel in El Dorado said it would open in April 2020. Our development team had every reason to believe the opening would be on time or close to it. From bad weather to material shortages, the reality of our industry is that projects inevitably get delayed.

The COVID-19 pandemic will serve as a capstone to more than two decades of cultural change in the workplace. As we emerge to find a new normal, companies that identify and leverage the positive aspects of these changes will have massive competitive advantages. Companies that don’t will fall behind. Let’s take a look at the history of office spaces and the efforts to change them over the decades, and then forecast what is on the horizon.

The neighborhoods of the past are often the ideals we treasure most today. These neighborhoods include narrow streets lined with sidewalks and shaded by a canopy of mature trees. Homes are built with covered front porches and any notion of the car is sequestered to the rear of the property.Residents of these neighborhoods know each other because they see each other, maybe at the corner bakery for morning coffee or out during evening strolls. The residents are proud of their neighborhoods because they feel ownership of them in their entirety, not just of the real estate within their fence lines.

Conway Block Plant is a complete renovation of a masonry manufacturing complex in downtown that will transform the abandoned property into a 30,000-square-foot startup incubator and maker space. In 1950, this plant was constructed by F&F Co. for a local concrete business in Conway. The company shut down operations in 1980. Within a month, Paul Tipton purchased the property and founded Conway Block Inc. in its place. It operated in this building until about 2005, when the new plant across town was built and the old location was abandoned. Most recently, many photographers and filmmakers have used the property as a cool place to do their work.

The creative economy is one of Arkansas’s largest economic sectors, employing thousands of people. While The Natural State continues to produce more than its fair share of talent in the film and music industry, most of this incredible talent leaves the state to pursue careers in other places. This out-migration trend may be turning, as the impact of COVID, advances in technology, improved infrastructure and a low cost of living and doing business combine to make Arkansas more attractive.

The Ouachita Mountains attract visitors from surrounding states and beyond. They come for the autumn colors, scenic vistas, pristine waterways, abundant wildlife, whitewater rafting and ATV trails. Mena is in the heart of the Ouachitas, and the influx of outdoor lovers is a catalyst for redevelopment planning.

Norbert Mede was born and raised on the West Coast, where he spent years in a multifaceted career of hospitality, hotel management and tourism development in the San Francisco Bay area. A year ago, he gave it all up for an opportunity to help shepherd a rebirth in Wilson, Arkansas, to be part of a comeback story as sturdy and green as the cotton and soybeans sprouting out of rich Arkansas Delta dirt.

Walkability is what solidified my choice to move to Little Rock’s River Market District 11 years ago. My family walks everywhere in the neighborhood, so the perceived lack of parking doesn’t resonate with me. But in Little Rock’s SoMa and North Little Rock’s Argenta, I often become one of those people who worry about whether I can snag a spot next to the establishment I am visiting. Right now it is manageable, but as the neighborhood grows and flourishes, parking will be at more of a premium.

New Urbanism is a set of principles that can be used to make cities better for their people. New Urbanism produces higher tax revenues and increases equity when implemented diligently. Many Arkansas cities are doing it: Fayetteville, Pine Bluff, North Little Rock, Siloam Springs and Fort Smith. They are better off for it. When we realize what New Urbanism does and is for, we can find it all across the state, including in some unlikely places.

Since 1987, hundreds of community leaders from across the Mid-South have attended the Community Development Institute (CDI) at the University of Central Arkansas to get practical tools and training to make a positive impact in their communities. CDI uses peer-to-peer learning, networking opportunities, experts in community and economic development and hands-on, engaging sessions to provide participants with a solid foundation in community and economic development.

I used to be a restaurant and bar owner. I might still be. The next few years will tell. At the moment I’m some kind of version of a mutual aid community organizer, social worker and one of the thousands of Arkansans on unemployment.

Amid COVID-19, diminishing municipal revenue, high unemployment and an awakening to the negative impact unjust systems have had on our Black and brown neighbors, citizens across the country are demanding a change in the status quo. While the debate rages on how that change should happen, crafting and implementing mechanisms to deepen community value — physical, economic, social, political, legal, technological, environmental and cultural — remains a primary and invaluable role for a municipal government.