UA-Designed Habitat Neighborhood Recognized by Congress of New Urbanism

A "green" neighborhood for the Benton County chapter of Habitat for Humanity that was designed by an interdisciplinary team of UA planners and engineers has been awarded the 2007 Charter Design Award from the Congress of New Urbanism. This is the sixth award given to the project, which was developed last year by the UA Community Design Center, Marty Matlock in the department of biological and agricultural engineering, Mark Boyer in the department of landscape architecture and 12 architecture and engineering students. Habitat Trails was one of twenty professional projects selected from around the world by the Congress. On its Web site, the organization notes that "honorees set the gold standard for urban design and development and serve as powerful examples for future development."

The Congress for New Urbanism is the leading organization to promote walkable, neighborhood-based development as an alternative to sprawl. With its focus on urban design, the Charter Awards program is different from most architecture awards, which typically focus on buildings and plans apart from their surroundings. "These projects . . . make a difference in the world," said jury chair Stefanos Polyzoides, a CNU co-founder and principal of Moule Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists in Pasadena, CA.

Habitat Trails, which is currently under construction, features bioremediating gardens and wetlands to treat storm water on site and "skinny" streets that decrease run-off and calm traffic. The subdivision's green infrastructure, which replaces conventional gutters, pipes, and retention ponds, reduces street costs by more than a third. Students updated traditional vernacular cottages and farmhouses in Habitat homes that cost a mere $55 per square foot. For more information on the project visit http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/8337.htm.

The Habitat Trails project will be included in the Congress of New Urbanism's annual awards publication and exhibited at its annual Congress in Philadelphia this May.

Awarded projects may be viewed on the Congress' website at http://www.cnu.org/node/927.

The design center and Marty Matlock currently are collaborating on a sustainable neighborhood for the Washington County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.