The FutureIsNow Speaker Series

314 N. Goad Springs Rd.,Lowell AR 72745

25 April, 2023

Description

Please join the Northwest Arkansas workforce housing center at noon on Tuesday, April 25 for the FutureIsNow speaker series. Attendees will hear from Emily Hamilton, senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Hamilton will speak about the effect of restrictive land-use policies on housing affordability. Legacy zoning and land-use policies at the municipal level often limit developers and planners from achieving more housing density that would improve accessibility. Matthew Petty, CEO of Pattern Zones Co., will join Hamilton to discuss the potential for alternate zoning in Northwest Arkansas. Their talk will be moderated by Randy Wilburn of the I Am Northwest Arkansas podcast. Lunch will be provided. The FutureIsNow speaker series is presented by the Northwest Arkansas Council and sponsored by the Walton Family Foundation. The Northwest Arkansas workforce housing center is proud to present the FutureIsNow speaker series featuring renowned national and local experts on housing issues. Speakers will share innovative solutions and best practices in building walkable, livable and vibrant communities. Emily Hamilton Senior Research Fellow and Director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University Emily Hamilton is a senior research fellow and director of the Urbanity Project at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Her research focuses on urban economics and land-use policy. Hamilton has authored numerous academic articles and policy papers. Her writing has appeared in USA Today, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She contributes to the blog Market Urbanism. Hamilton received her PhD in economics from George Mason University. Matthew Petty CEO @ Pattern Zones Co Matthew Petty is a selective practitioner driven to make an impact. He specializes in contemporary municipal best practices, and his passion is helping cities manage for higher revenues and happier communities. Matthew is the creator of a novel technique cities can use to guide development called pattern zones that pre-approves high-quality infill buildings for local use. The program lowers barriers to small parcel development to make sprawl repair, appropriate infill, and main street commerce accessible to residents and builders. Matthew has facilitated or consulted for municipalities or civic organizations in more than a dozen communities, including Overland Park, Memphis, South Bend, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Houston, and others. He was elected four times and served nearly 13 years as a city council member in Fayetteville where he sponsored new data-based processes within a placemaking framework in transportation and tourism budgets. Matthew’s planning and design proposals have won grants from National Endowment for the Arts, the Knight Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and others. Congress for the New Urbanism awarded his work national honors.