More communities around the country are realizing they have to reckon with the automobile-centered environment they created. The Frontier Metropolitan Planning Organization recently invited national community design expert Mark Fenton to take walking tours of Van Buren and Fort Smith. Van Buren's city, school district and chamber of commerce leaders attended the tour to see what they are doing right and what they could be doing better to create more walkable spaces, which lead to a better quality of life. While the group walked a portion of Main Street from the Van Buren Public Library to the heart of downtown, Fenton encouraged discussion of problem areas and possible solutions, many of which can first be done on a temporary basis to test whether they work.
Walking Tour of Van Buren Encourages Ideas for More Walkable Future
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Van Buren's Main St., looking east toward the public library. Tour participants noted there is no continuous sidewalk, and some parking lots extend to the road, which creates the impression that pedestrians are not welcome.
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Main St. looking east toward the Y-intersection of Main St., Broadway St. and 11th St.. Tour participants noted this area was a lot more pedestrian-friendly because of the well-built sidewalks, ramps and a grass buffer between the sidewalk and road.
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Webster St. meets Main St. across from Freedom Park. City leaders plan to create a space for food trucks in the lot taken up by the truck and bench in this photo. Participants also noted how drivers tend to drive fast through this area.
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The tour heads down Main St. toward Fayetteville Rd., the heart of downtown. Participants agreed this was the highest scoring area on Mark Fenton’s scale because it invites pedestrians with wide sidewalks, well-marked crosswalks and mixed-use buildings.";
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Walking tour participants also pointed out the awnings used by most businesses create a safe space for pedestrians.
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The traffic island at the Y-intersection of Main St., Broadway St. and 11th St. was also identified as a problem area by participants. They noted the area does not encourage walking because of the convergence of high-speed roads and a lack of crosswalks.
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