The architecture plan to transform Main Street Little Rock into the Creative Corridor has been recognized again.
The University of Arkansas Community Design Center and Marlon Blackwell Architect’s plan, “The Creative Corridor: A Main Street Revitalization for Little Rock,” won Honorable Mention in Urban Design (Concept) of the International Awards 2015 sponsored by Architecture Podium.
This is the latest in a long list of awards for the area, including a 2014 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects, 2013 American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
It also won a Charter Award in the Neighborhood, District and Corridor category in the 2013 Charter Awards, sponsored by the Congress for the New Urbanism, and it was short-listed for the 2013 World Architecture Festival Awards in the Future Projects – Masterplanning category.
The Creative Corridor retrofits a four-block segment of downtown Main Street using cultural arts as economic development rather than Main Street’s traditional retail base. The goal is a mixed-use work-live environment that is sensitive to the history of the area. The incremental approach employs three developmental phases to transform the corridor space into a downtown node. Planning and design for the Creative Corridor was funded by a 2011 Our Town grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
“This is yet another in a growing line of international, national and regional recognition for the Creative Corridor. It is a testament to the outstanding design team at the UofA Community Design Center and architect Marlon Blackwell. I am grateful for their efforts on this project,” said Mayor Mark Stodola in a release.
“I am also appreciative of the outstanding local effort to take this plan and execute it,” Stodola added. “I look forward to seeing the excitement of the arts organizations up and down Main Street with their creative talent literally spilling out on to the sidewalks.”
The Creative Corridor features elements such as marquees, green and low impact development elements, and an art installation made from street lamps of different eras from city neighborhoods.