Bentonville’s story is best experienced by bike. This guided tour explores the city’s remarkable greenway network, weaving together its culture, architecture, and urban design. We handle every detail for a seamless ride, beginning with a quick orientation and e-bike tutorial before rolling out right onto the greenway.
Our journey follows the renowned Razorback Greenway, highlighting how trails connect Bentonville’s most iconic spaces. Along the way, we’ll pause to appreciate cultural landmarks, architectural standouts, and designed landscapes—from the world-class integration of Crystal Bridges into its natural setting, to the Walton Family Whole Health Institute, the contemporary transformation of The Momentary, and the historic charm of the Downtown Square. We’ll also pass through vibrant community hubs like the Walmart Campus, 8th Street Market, and Slaughter Pen Trails, seeing firsthand how infrastructure, landscape, art, and architecture converge to shape Bentonville’s identity.
This tour blends active exploration with rich cultural and design storytelling, offering a unique perspective on how Bentonville’s greenways connect people, place, and landscape.

Approved for LA CES HSW- 3 hours
 

This interactive session sets the stage for the River Commons tour by introducing the principles and practice of nature-based solutions (NBS). Participants will gain a grounding in the science, social dynamics, and governance challenges of NBS before engaging in group exercises designed to spark creative thinking around real-world applications. Expert case studies and facilitated discussions will help translate concepts into action, preparing attendees to see the River Commons project with fresh perspective.  

Session highlights:   

· Introduction to NBS concepts, science, and governance challenges  

· Small-group work with practice cases featuring stakeholder issues and budget considerations  

· Case study presentations, including the River Commons and other regional examples  

· Interactive group discussions supported by panelists  

· Large-group sharing and reflections on lessons learned  

 

Approved for LA CES HSW- 3 hours

The Watershed Conservation Resource Center (WCRC) with multiple partners is establishing The River Commons, a public space designed to connect people to a natural floodplain landscape through ecological restoration, recreation, cultural heritage, and community engagement. The River Commons is over 320 acres of land in Southeast Fayetteville that includes wetlands and prairie features with a section of the West Fork of the White River (WFWR) running through it. The WCRC partnered with the City of Fayetteville, AR and Beaver Water District to purchase two properties to protect water quality through the restoration of wetlands, floodplain, and other natural features along the WFWR. The River Commons landscape is ideal for public access and education, so the WCRC worked with the University of Arkansas Community Design Center (UACDC) and a steering committee (UACDC, Arkansas Archeological Survey, NWA Black Heritage Association, Osage Nation, City of Fayetteville, and WCRC) to develop a site design that highlights the site’s diverse cultural history by revealing Native-American, African American, and Euro-American lifeways and foodways and their distinct connection to the landscape. The proposed site design includes amenities that integrate ecology and cultural history through interactive exhibitions and cultural gardens. Recreation is emphasized with proposed boat storage and boating on the wetland and river, fishing, hiking, and birding that includes a tower. Progress in implementing the vision for The River Commons will be presented along with community engagement activities already happening, such as, a River Cane Workshop for the public but includes Environmental Professionals, Elected Officials, Native American Tribal Members, Artists, and Business Owners; The River Commons Gathering; Environmental Restoration Trainings; and Wetland and Native Plant Program for Happy Hollow Elementary School 3rd graders. Key to the success of The River Commons is the formation of The River Coalition of partners. Eighteen organizations and municipalities have joined and can utilize the property to further their missions and conduct environmentally based community engagement activities. Envisioned to become a NWA destination, The River Commons will be “a dynamic space where all may experience ecology, cultural heritage, outdoor recreation, and riverine restoration in ways that generate a deep understanding of our interdependency on natural systems and each other".

 

Approved for LA CES HSW- 3 hours

Join us in supporting Illinois River Watershed Partnership at the Pack Rat Pint Night! We'll have tasty local beverages and dinner, live music, and amazing giveaways. 

• This event will also serve as the opening night reception for Urban Land Insitute NWA Place Summit and admission is included in the conference ticket.

Benefitting: Illinois River Watershed Partnership
Beverages: Fossil Cove, Bentonville Brewing & Basecamp Coffee
Hors d'oeuvres: Conifer
Tunes: Higher Arkies
Giveaway: Smartwool, Oboz, Chaco, Rab, Nemo Equipment

Once registered for the Place Summit, your name will be added to the check-in list. No actual ticket is required for check in.

Not registered for the Place Summit but want to attend this awesome event? You can purchase a ticket for just $15 here!

Informal networking and refreshments

Kick off the 2025 Place Summit with a warm welcome from ULI Northwest Arkansas leadership. This opening session sets the stage for a day of thoughtful dialogue and shared learning among leaders shaping the built environment. Together, we’ll explore the intersections of design and architecture, housing, transportation and mobility, resilience, policy, governance, and funding, and public realm and placemaking. The day ahead promises rich discussion, new ideas, and meaningful connections—culminating in engaging networking and receptions that embody ULI’s mission to shape the future of our communities for the better.

Leadership is not reserved for titles at the top. It is expressed through the daily actions of people in every role and in every organization. In this keynote, Mark Zweig will share practical insights on how leadership at all levels can help guide Northwest Arkansas toward growth that is both impactful and distinctive. Following his talk, Randy Wilburn will join him in a fireside chat to explore how genuine placemaking, rooted in the unique identity of each community, depends on leaders who are willing to step up, listen, and act with vision. Together, they will highlight how cultivating leaders across sectors is essential to ensuring the region grows the right way.

 

Approved for LA CES HSW- 3 hours

Developers today face a new reality: projects don’t compete on square footage alone. They compete on experience.

In this interactive workshop, two nationally recognized practitioners will demonstrate how placemaking transforms ordinary developments into destinations that command premium rents, attract talent, and foster long-term loyalty. Drawing on national case studies and local lessons, facilitators Danny Collins of Ecological Design Group & 37 North Expeditions, and Daniel Hintz of the Velocity Group, will show how experience-first design—from trails and parks to programming and governance systems—creates lasting value for both developers and communities. Participants will leave with practical tools to embed placemaking from day one, ensuring projects outperform the market and stand the test of time. This isn’t about decoration. It’s about competitive advantage. Whether you’re a developer, city leader, or community partner, you’ll gain a new perspective on how to unlock value in the spaces between buildings—and why places win.

Key Takeaways:
•    Learn why placemaking is a revenue strategy, not a cost center.
•    See how outdoor spaces, recreation, and programming drive leasing success and brand differentiation.
•    Understand governance and phasing models that make placemaking financially sustainable.
•    Gain tools to apply experience-first thinking to your next project.
 

Can technology impact the development process, reduce costs, and expand housing opportunities? This panel brings together innovators applying data and digital platforms to tackle key barriers in land use, entitlements, and permitting. Drawing on case studies from across the country and Northwest Arkansas, panelists will demonstrate how technology can make invisible processes visible, reducing development timelines and improving transparency for both the public and private sectors. Join us for a solutions-focused discussion on how technology can support communities, planners, and developers in building more vibrant places.

Join us for an interactive session showcasing how the University of Arkansas is preparing its student team to compete at the national Hines Urban Design Competition. Using Downtown Centerton as their case study, students are applying real-world development strategies, planning tools, and market analysis to craft a visionary pitch that reflects the opportunities and challenges identified in the ULI Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) report.
This session will spotlight the revitalization and placemaking efforts underway through the Small Cities Initiative and explore how the students are building on these recommendations to inform their work. Attendees will get a behind-the-scenes look at the students’ process and design proposal for the City of Centerton.  We also encourage feedback on the solution and presentation as they prepare to participate in the national competition.
Whether you are a developer, planner, designer, or civic leader, this is your chance to engage with the next generation of urban thinkers and see how local projects like Centerton can serve as a proving ground for bold, creative ideas.

An introduction to landscape typologies and their social, economic, and ecological performance. Similar to the urban form variations of a planning transect, landscapes differ in character and must be intentionally placed to fit their context and purpose. Unlike most of the built environment, landscapes are living, dynamic systems— inherently unpredictable and often misunderstood. We will explore planning challenges, maintenance misnomers, and case studies to examine the impacts of your choices as a developer, a municipality, or a designer – on both Day 1 and long-term. At all scales, from a single site to city-wide, high-performing landscapes are key to unlocking resilience in our communities and contributing to your bottom line.

The Hinshaw-Latham Residence is a 1,636-square-foot energy-efficient home situated beside a bird sanctuary in Tontitown, Arkansas. Thoughtful orientation and site planning allowed the design to work in harmony with the landscape while maximizing the benefits of passive solar strategies. Developed in alignment with the homeowners’ vision, this off-grid home virtually eliminates reliance on fossil fuels and significantly reduces its carbon footprint.

The project began with the construction of a farm workshop, followed by the installation of a 6 kW solar system paired with a two-stack HomeGrid battery (4.8 kWh x 2 = 9.6 kWh). This home demonstrates true off-grid potential—not through an oversized solar array, but through a carefully integrated design-build process rooted in building science. It begins with a high-performance building envelope featuring an ICF foundation, insulated OSB sheathing, energy heel trusses, an Ice House Roof system, and spray foam insulation. These elements work together to drastically reduce energy demand, making a smaller solar system not only feasible but highly effective.

Churches hold a substantial amount of land in many cities. Many of these properties are facing times of transition as buildings suffer from deferred maintenance and declines in attendance and finances. In spite of these challenges, these churches coalesce around the shared values of loving your neighbor, supporting the marginalized, and helping the poor. The intersection of these realities suggests there is a ripe opportunity to consider how land and buildings held by churches could be reimagined and repurposed to serve the local community through placemaking and housing development.

While there is a growing movement to partner with churches to develop underutilized land for broader community benefit, translating between mission and real estate is not easy. Churches can be under-resourced and unfamiliar with how development works, and developers and advocates often have difficulty navigating the culture and decision-making processes of faith communities. This session will provide suggestions on how churches, housing advocates, and developers can work together, discussing common challenges and sharing case studies at various scales.

This session explores what becomes possible when those closest to a problem are involved in designing the solution. Through a case study from the Circles NWA organization, we’ll share how we developed and applied the Innovative Poverty Solutions model—a community-driven development approach that begins by bringing people together across income lines to listen, learn from one another, and co-create practical, innovative responses to real-world challenges. We’ll explore why dialogue across income levels matters, what is lost when development is top-down, and what becomes possible when ideas are built from the ground up. We’ll also share how this model led to a new approach to addressing car transportation needs in NWA and how we are now applying the same model to housing.

Dr. Gregg Colburn, author of Homelessness Is a Housing Problem, will bring a research-driven perspective on the structural forces shaping affordability, stability, and opportunity in fast-growing regions. Fayetteville illustrates these dynamics vividly, with 4,000 new residents arriving each year, University of Arkansas enrollment surging toward 36,000, and more than a third of households already cost burdened. Despite rapid construction, the city fell 1,480 units short of demand between 2019 and 2022, underscoring the urgent need for strategies that match housing production to population growth.

This keynote is a call to action for community leaders, policymakers, and developers who want to ensure growth is both sustainable and inclusive. Attendees will gain clear insight into how local housing markets drive broader social outcomes, along with examples of policy and planning tools that can close the gap between demand and supply. By connecting Fayetteville’s current challenges to proven approaches from across the country, Dr. Colburn will chart a path forward that makes housing a foundation for equity, resilience, and prosperity.

 

Unable to attend the full Place Summit? You can still experience the keynote session for only $25. Register here.

This workshop is a crucial step toward creating a Regional Wastewater Strategy for Future Development. Supporting the work of Hawkins-Weir Engineers, the session will translate growth projections into phased wastewater collection and treatment needs in partnership with the Benton/Washington Regional Public Water Authority. With most surrounding states already adopting regional approaches, Northwest Arkansas now faces a pivotal moment to secure the infrastructure needed to sustain its growth.

Prairie Grove is at an exciting moment of growth. With an engaged community, strong ties to local businesses, and a vibrant small-town culture, the city recognizes the need to plan intentionally for the future of its parks and recreation system. Leaders see parks not only as amenities but as vital infrastructure that brings people together, strengthens civic identity, and supports long-term growth.

The city now seeks to create its first comprehensive master plan for parks and recreation. This vision includes aligning park placement with future growth patterns, expanding facilities through strategic land acquisition, exploring the potential for regional connections such as linking to the Fayetteville Greenway, and providing multi-generational spaces that serve as hubs for community life.

This interactive design workshop will invite Place Summit attendees to roll up their sleeves and help shape that vision. Participants will brainstorm opportunities for park system expansion, share examples of innovative recreational design, identify policy and funding tools, and consider short-term wins alongside long-term strategies. Together we will explore how Prairie Grove can create a parks network that fosters connection, boosts local vitality, and ensures that future growth strengthens the community’s unique character.

Experience two of Northwest Arkansas’s most influential design studios in this special dual tour experience.

Participants will be divided into two groups to begin:

One group will start at Modus Studio. Join us at Modus Studio for a behind-the-scenes tour of our LEED Platinum workspace and an engaging discussion with our architects and interior designers about the power of design rooted in the Ozarks. Discover how Modus blends design thinking and making to create meaningful, contextually driven projects across the region, from public pavilions and mass timber innovations like Woodland Junior High, Adohi Hall, and the Anthony Timberlands Center to community-focused developments such as the new Moxy Hotel and South Yard, redefining the built environment of Northwest Arkansas. 

The other group will begin at Marlon Blackwell Architects, stepping inside the award-winning studio of Marlon Blackwell Architects for a rare behind-the-scenes look at one of Fayetteville’s most celebrated design practices. Explore how this nationally recognized firm crafts architecture deeply rooted in place, blending regional character, material honesty, and poetic form. From acclaimed cultural and civic landmarks to humble everyday structures, discover how their work continues to shape the identity and spirit of Northwest Arkansas.

After the first half of the session, groups will swap locations to experience both studios.

 

Sponsored by:

Get ready for the Place Summit’s most talked-about event: The Biggest Party in Real Estate!

Hosted by ULI’s affinity groups Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), Young Leaders Partnership (YLP), and Art In Place (AIP), this reception brings the entire industry together under one roof.

This is more than a networking mixer. It is a high-energy celebration where leaders, innovators, and rising stars collide to spark new ideas, deals, and collaborations. With sponsors from across the region making passes available, the guest list will stretch far beyond Place Summit attendees, creating a rare opportunity to expand your circle and connect with people you want to know.

Expect a vibrant atmosphere, great food and drinks, and the kind of conversations you will be talking about long after the Summit ends. Miss this and you will miss the moment everyone else is buzzing about. 

Not able to attend the Place Summit but want to enjoy this awesome networking opportunity? You can purchase a ticket to attend just the BPRE Reception.

Join us at the start of Day 2 for a warm welcome from the leadership of ULI Northwest Arkansas as we officially launch the day’s agenda. This session sets the stage for an inspiring day of meaningful dialogue, collaboration, and shared insights across the fields of design and architecture, housing, transportation and mobility, resilience, governance and funding, and placemaking. Together, we’ll orient to our collective purpose and prepare for a full program of rich learning and connection.

Forward 2050, NWA’s new Metropolitan Transportation Plan, lays the vision for a safe, connected, and resilient future. Attendees will hear how the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission worked with partners across the region to align local priorities with long-term infrastructure needs. The Plan embraces multimodal transportation and land use integration as the foundation for responsible growth. Whether you’re focused on neighborhoods, business, or community leadership, you’ll discover how Forward 2050 will guide the region’s growth and shape the places we call home. 

Downtown Rogers stands as one of Northwest Arkansas’s most successful examples of intentional, authentic growth. This session explores how a clear master plan and strategic public investment helped transform the district from a pass-through corridor into a thriving destination for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

Panelists will discuss the city’s approach to “government acting like a business” — leveraging public revenue to unlock private development — and how thoughtful placemaking, street design, and mixed-use integration have shaped the downtown experience.

Looking ahead, the conversation will address upcoming opportunities and challenges, including the 71B corridor redevelopment, improved connectivity to the new Walmart Home Office campus, enhanced parking strategies, and ongoing collaboration with regional partners like the railroad and ARDOT.

As our cities and neighborhoods grow, so too does our understanding of how the built environment influences human health. From extreme heat and walkability to social connection and connection to nature, the design and planning of our developments play a critical role in shaping the quality of life for the communities they serve.

Key topics will include: · The science behind health-oriented urban design

• Strategies for integrating wellness into site planning
• Influence of development patterns on the urban heat island effect and health outcomes
• Heat-safe, nature-based urban design solutions for health and wellbeing
• Importance of recreation in daily life
• Regional approaches to outdoor protection and equitable provision of recreational opportunities

Recipient of the 2025 ULI SWMO IMPACT Award for development excellence, Finley Farms is a historic cultural center located in the heart of Ozark, MO. Once a thriving Mill serving as the main community employer, center for news and market, fell victim to centuries of fires, floods, and technological changes that eventually came to a close in the late 20th century. Visionary Johnny Morris and Family purchased and revitalized the 40+ acre development to restore the historic charm, while reigniting the cultural center of Ozark to include: restaurants, farm to table workshops, farmers markets, wedding venue, and future planned accommodations.
Presentation will focus on strategic navigation of jurisdictions, public input, and design consultants to overcome immense challenges to meet Owner vision.

Springfield sees itself as the regional hub of Southwest Missouri and as a partner in the region’s shared growth. In this presentation, Bruce Adib-Yazdi explores how Springfield’s missing middle housing strategy and other initiatives that are helping the city plan for growth within its boundary while also strengthening collaboration with surrounding communities.  Together, Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas are emerging as the two anchors of a connected and thriving Ozarks region.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how Springfield Missouri has been preparing for urban growth, as well as being a collaborative regional hub for surrounding communities.

As we continue to experience a housing shortage, it is important to provide a variety of housing options to meet the needs of area residents. However, some housing options are prevented from development due to exclusionary zoning practices. This presentation offers a better understanding of housing norms and how they are shaped at an early age and provides an overview of professional development materials created for elementary teachers to help overcome this housing bias. In the short term, these materials can increase the housing awareness and knowledge of teachers, their students, and their families. In the long run, there is the potential to expand the area’s housing stock through this increased awareness and knowledge.

Public art has the power to transform a building into a landmark, a block into a destination, and a development into a thriving community asset. For developers, the integration of art into real estate projects is not just an aesthetic decision—it’s a strategic one. This session will explore best practices in using art as a tool for placemaking, the measurable ROI of incorporating art into developments, and innovative partnerships between artists, communities, and property owners. Through case studies and research insights, panelists will share how art can drive tenant attraction, increase property value, and strengthen local identity.

This session will explore the importance of developing and sustaining cultures of movement and activity that can improve community health, economic development and quality of life. We will explore the benefits of active communities and dive deep into case studies and example programs from communities that have realized a measurable impact through access to outdoor recreation and active transportation. This session will utilize Laneshift's "Connected Community Model" as a framework for learning: Connected Community Model: A. Creating Active Transportation Infrastructure that is: Safe Comfortable Connected B. Developing Active Transportation Cultures that are: Welcoming Accessible Encouraging Session Objectives: A. Understanding the importance of facilitating a culture of movement and activity within a community and project. B. Learning various design elements, programs, events and initiatives that can promote and encourage activity within communities and development projects. C. Exploring the connected community model and how this can be applied to making a measurable effect on residents and visitors alike. 

Along the NWA corridor are many communities with many libraries, each library providing a variety of resources and services. Two of these libraries, Bentonville Public Library and Fayetteville Public Library, recently expanded their facilities as their communities and the regional community grows. While they could simply build a bigger building and grow existing collections, both institutions, who have a heart to truly serve their communities, took great care in building according to their individual communities’ needs. Through intentional design, these public facilities and their environments allow patrons to access resources, create experiences, make connections, and solidify the library as a “third space.” This presentation reviews how the role of the library as an institution is changing, how each library considered their individual communities and successfully incorporated a sense of place through architectural design, and how both institutions continue to consider changing needs in the future.

Climate risk is now a balance-sheet issue. In the south central US, exposure to heat, severe storms, and flash flooding is rising—while lenders, insurers, and tenants are raising the bar on performance and resilience in buildings and communities. This session equips owners, developers, and practitioners with a clear, practical roadmap: screen sites and portfolios for risk, translate findings into cost-effective design and operational strategies, and align with financing and incentives. We’ll also note where emerging best practices and frameworks—such as the resilience and performance focus areas in LEED v5—can serve as useful reference points and guides. A panel of local and national practitioners will share tools, case examples, and the financial case for avoided losses, operating savings, and asset value. Walk away with actionable resources to future-proof both new projects and existing assets.

Conventional landscape practices often default to turfgrass and ornamental plantings, missing critical opportunities to restore ecological function and build climate resilience. This session takes participants on a guided walking tour from the Fayetteville Square to the Upper Ramble, highlighting how nature-based strategies are being integrated into the city’s landscape. Along the route, we will explore green infrastructure practices, natural infrastructure such as riparian buffers, and the role of native vegetation in fostering a strong sense of place. The tour will also address site assessment techniques—such as evaluating soils, hydrology, vegetation, and cultural context—and how those insights inform design decisions and long-term maintenance. This session equips participants with practical insights for implementing and sustaining ecologically grounded landscapes in urban settings.

 

Participants will:

• Learn how to use site assessment techniques (soils, hydrology, vegetation, cultural context) to guide ecological landscape planning.
• Explore the role of native vegetation in placemaking, cultural connection, and long-term maintenance strategies.
• Understand how green and natural infrastructure mitigate urban heat island effects, enhance wildlife habitat, and support stormwater management.
• Experience real-world applications of ecological design and maintenance through built examples in downtown Fayetteville. 

Join the Laneshift team for this fun and engaging workshop and bicycle learning tour that will provide insights into active transportation and innovative infrastructure projects in Fayetteville. The tour will highlight how these elements factor into developing thriving and healthy communities, neighborhoods, and projects. The ~2-3 hour learning tour will explore the active transportation and trail network within the City of Fayetteville as well as how the “network” integrates into the transportation network and serves a wide array of residents and visitors alike. 

Following the workshop, the bicycle learning tour will be led by Ryan Hale and his team. Space is limited. E-bikes will be provided for the first 15 participants to register. Feel free to bring your own bike. E-bikes are highly recommended but not required.

 

Approved for LA CES HSW- 3 hours

This guided walking tour explores how art is shaping Fayetteville’s public realm. From the cultural energy of Dickson Street, through the Ramble, and into the Arts District, participants will experience firsthand how murals, installations, and creative interventions bring identity and vibrancy to place. The tour concludes at the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Material Innovation, a landmark project at the intersection of art, architecture, and community. 

Connected Community Learning Bike Tour accompanies the Workshop: Connected Community Learning Bike Tour. Space is limited. To attend the tour, you must attend the workshop. There is no option to register for the tour without the workshop.

Join the Laneshift and Prism Design Studio teams for this fun and engaging ride and/or walk that will provide insights into active transportation and innovative infrastructure projects in Fayetteville. The tour(s) will highlight how these elements factor into developing thriving and healthy communities, neighborhoods, and projects. The ~2–3 hour learning tour(s) will explore the active transportation and trail network within the City of Fayetteville as well as how the “network” integrates into the transportation network as well as individual projects/developments.

Join us for the Closing Reception of the 2025 Place Summit, a celebratory wrap-up to three days of connection, collaboration, and big ideas. Enjoy drinks, light bites, and closing reflections as we toast to the projects, partnerships, and possibilities shaping the future of Northwest Arkansas and beyond.