Our Friday update here at kickstART farmington highlights some great articles we’ve read this week dealing with art, creative placemaking, and building great communities. You’re sure to find some inspiration to make your life and our community even better!

1. The End of Sprawl?: Rents for commercial spaces in walkable districts inside otherwise car-dependent suburbs command a 74 percent premium over non-walkable areas. The researchers argue that this is symptomatic of an ongoing societal shift.

2. On Earmarked Taxes for the Arts: A dynamic arts scene means the companies you have now should face the prospect of competition. But be ready for their directors not to agree.

3. Sound Bites from CNU22: People are happier in messy, engaging mixed-use instead of blanked-wall mixed-use. And nature isn’t just good for you. It makes you nicer.

4. On Environmental Art: Environmental art contributes to the environment around it, enriching its community and fostering a relationship between the people and the place, and the people in the place.

5. On Sticky Streets: A street is sticky if as you move along it, you’re constantly enticed to slow down, stop and linger to enjoy the public life around you.