The Village at Hendrix, the first fully-developed neighborhood in Arkansas to adopt New Urbanism, is being constructed on a 90-acre tract on the east side of Harkrider Street just northeast of the college’s main campus. New Urbanism is a world-wide movement creating walkable neighborhoods and buildings with mixed-use development.

The idea of a walkable neighborhood adjacent to the Hendrix campus was first introduced during a 1995 charrette led by Andres Duany of Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company, an internationally recognized urban planning group that developed the Hendrix master plan.

Duany proposed that Hendrix develop land it owned on the east side of Harkrider Street into a neighborhood that combined a mix of residential and commercial spaces. In 1995, the idea was ahead of its time. But, when Duany returned in 2005 to update the College's master plan, he made the suggestion again and this time the idea caught fire.

The Hendrix Board of Trustees authorized the College's administration to research the concept and, after more than a year of careful study and review, in May 2006, the Trustees voted to move forward with the first phase of construction.

The board selected Traditional Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC, of Durham, N.C., as the project developers. TND Partners is now developing The Village at Hendrix in accordance with the principals of New Urbanism, an architectural movement that Duany helped found.

Construction of the first phase of The Village at Hendrix is underway and is expected to take about three years.