This blog follows the success story of the Cumberland Avenue Pop-Up demonstration in Little Rock, Arkansas, a project led by studioMAIN made possible by a Community Change Grant.
The City of Little Rock, Arkansas is no stranger to successful pop-up projects. Thanks to the 2023 Community Change Grant program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the project selected by studioMAIN was no exception. StudioMAIN is a nonprofit design collective in Little Rock, Arkansas, that brings together architects, designers, engineers, and community advocates to promote better urban design and public space activation.
Facing challenges like limited resources, studioMAIN embraced a bold opportunity to reimagine Cumberland Avenue as a vibrant space for people to walk. Their plan for the pop-up demonstration project on Cumberland, between 4th and Markham, involved narrowing the road to two lanes (one in each direction) and dedicating the rest of the space to pedestrians. With additional funds from the Community Change Grant and local donors, they were able to purchase temporary striping tape and paint. They also rented the reflective delineators and water-filled barricades required by the city.
Why Cumberland Avenue?
Cumberland Avenue has experienced a significant drop in vehicle traffic due to a recent highway project, which included removal of the on/off ramps that previously existed between 2nd and 3rd Streets. There is very limited pedestrian infrastructure in this section of Cumberland, with no sidewalks available in many areas. This area also has very high pedestrian traffic volume as a primary north/south connection and due to its proximity to the Rock Region Metro travel center, Historic Arkansas Museum, Central Arkansas Library System Main Library, and the Rivermarket District.
This section of Commerce Street was evaluated as a continuation of the Commerce Street Accessible Neighborhood Greenway workshop that was held in December 2023. This workshop was part of the 2023 Arkansas State Walking College, a program inspired by America Walks’ long-standing CDC-funded National Walking College.
“We feel that this was a really impactful effort, and the $1500 in funding was critical to making it happen. It allowed us to move forward quickly, as soon as we received city approval, knowing we had funding for a safer street design and allowing us to focus on fundraising just for the activation portion of the demonstration. We were able to get momentum going and keep the importance of developing this area as a primary focus coming out of the Downtown Master Plan effort.”– Heather Davis, AMR – Principal/Architect, Pop-Up Project Team
Community Engagement and Events
The installation ran from May 3–June 21, 2025, with a special event on June 13, 2025, in coordination with 2nd Friday Art Night. The event invited people to gather and connect through seating areas, yard games, disc golf, a food truck, and even giant bubbles, turning the street into a playful, welcoming space for all ages. Collaborations for this project included Create Little Rock, Little Rock Public Works, Little Rock Parks & Rec, and Central Arkansas Library System (CALS).
Impact and Future Plans
studioMAIN and partners were able to demonstrate through the pop-up implementation that the safer street design on Cumberland Avenue did not negatively impact traffic. The response to the new space was highly enthusiastic, with strong community interest and engagement throughout the project.
Several entities are working on moving this vision forward permanently. Crafton Tull, a leading architecture and engineering firm in Arkansas, is working on a proposed design to make the road diet permanent (including a multi-use path) as a part of a RAISE grant with Rock Region Metro. The city hired Sasaki, a design firm and the team behind the Little Rock Downtown Master Plan, to design the park space. They presented their preliminary ideas during the annual Food Truck Festival, which was held in the pop-up location, bringing more awareness to the project. The CALS Main Library is also set to reopen in early October 2025, a milestone that’s expected to draw increased attention to the area and reinforce ongoing efforts to activate the surrounding streetscape.
