Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.’s Little Rock 2030 plan connects the city’s next chapter to public safety, affordable housing, and stronger neighborhoods.
A city’s progress is measured in the everyday experiences of its people—the neighborhoods they call home, the opportunities available to their families and the reliability of the services they depend on. Those priorities anchor Little Rock 2030: Forward Together, the four-year plan Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. unveiled Thursday, Oct. 1.
The proposal outlines six commitments spanning public safety, housing, economic opportunity, city services, parks and support for residents at every stage of life. Its central premise is that continued growth must translate into a safer, more affordable and more responsive city.
Scott points to more than 14,000 jobs created, reduced violent crime, expanded housing opportunities, and investments in public infrastructure as evidence of his administration’s progress over the past eight years. Little Rock 2030, he says, is intended to build on that foundation.
“That progress is real, but our work is not finished,” Scott said. “Little Rock 2030 is our plan to build on that momentum and strengthen what makes our city a great place to raise a family, start and grow a business, advance a career and enjoy life.”
Public safety remains a central commitment. The plan calls for early intervention to prevent neighborhood violence, more specialized social workers on response teams, and an expanded Real-Time Crime Center with community oversight. It also proposes expanding free gun-lock distribution through Project ChildSafe, placing prevention alongside the city’s response to crime.
Housing affordability receives similarly direct attention. Building on what the administration describes as Arkansas’s first municipal Housing Trust Fund, Scott proposes moving closer to 2,000 high-quality single- and multifamily homes for working families and essential workers. Permit-ready designs would help reduce construction costs and accelerate development on vacant lots.
The housing agenda also includes advancing the Downtown Master Plan and completing an 80-unit micro home village and emergency shelter. A proposed heirs’ property program would help families establish clear titles, preserve generational wealth, and return abandoned properties to productive use. That commitment connects neighborhood revitalization with families’ ability to retain and protect property.
Economic development, meanwhile, extends from attracting a major manufacturing employer to the Port of Little Rock to improving access to city contracts for local businesses. Scott’s plan calls for removing unnecessary procurement barriers and establishing a certification program with defined contracting opportunities for qualified local businesses.
Access to healthy food is also part of the economic agenda. The proposal seeks to eliminate food deserts through partnerships with grocery providers, use city price offsets to keep healthy food affordable, and launch a second mobile market.
For residents, some of the plan’s most visible commitments could come through basic city services. Infrastructure priorities include accelerated street paving and drainage repairs, funding for the Cantrell Road gap to complete the River Trail loop, and revitalization of Historic 9th Street. Proposed upgrades to 3-1-1 would introduce text reporting and live tracking, while a consolidated code enforcement team would focus on eliminating neighborhood blight.
Little Rock’s 63 neighborhood parks also figure prominently in the city’s future. Scott proposes mobilizing state, federal, and philanthropic partners to build on a $30 million investment in 30 Crossings Park and create a premier downtown landmark. The plan also seeks dedicated funding to implement the master plan for War Memorial and Hindman parks, alongside a permanent reserve supported by private and nonprofit partnerships for maintenance and improvements citywide.
The final commitment addresses opportunity across generations. Proposed initiatives include expanding Community Schools, opening additional early childhood education slots for toddlers, and launching 529 college savings accounts for Little Rock School District elementary students. For older residents, the plan calls for full, active programming at the city’s Senior Center and business partnerships to secure barrier-free Age-Friendly certifications.
Together, these commitments connect Little Rock’s growth to the practical conditions that shape daily life. Jobs, housing, safe neighborhoods, accessible parks and dependable services all contribute to whether residents can build lasting futures in the city.
The measure of Little Rock 2030 will be how its commitments translate into visible results. Scott has built that expectation into the proposal itself.
“This is not simply a vision for what Little Rock could become,” he said. “It is a plan for what we will do, how we will measure our progress, and how residents will see the results in their daily lives.”
The full plan is available at FrankScottJr.com/forwardtogether.
photo source: https://www.frankscottjr.com/meetfrank