The Urban Collaborative recently led four intensive planning charrettes at Ebbing Air National Guard Base (Fort Smith, Arkansas) to support the Air Force Civil Engineering Center (AFCEC) and the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Wing as the base expands to meet rapidly growing mission demands. Over four days, our team delivered three Planning Charrette Reports (PCRs) (Note: this was just the fourth of four workshops)—a pace that underscores both the efficiency of our process and the value of convening the right stakeholders in the same room, with clear decisions made in real time.
The need is immediate. Ebbing ANGB is increasing its capacity to host l F-35 Lightning IIs as the training center for Foreign Military Sales participants and F-16s for the Republic of Singapore Air Force, moving from Luke AFB. Within a compact footprint, the first workshop focused on aligning an updated Area Development Plan with near-term project actions that can scale over time—prioritizing low-impact development, cybersecurity measures, and energy and sustainability strategies that strengthen long-term resilience without impacting operational readiness. Our shared planning vision is to create adaptable buildings in a walkable district, supported by flexible building framing and clearly defined targeting and training models that enable ISR and multinational flying missions.
Across the four days of the final workshop, we evaluated multiple courses of action for three key facilities: an aircraft maintenance shop addition, a supply/storage addition, and a vehicle maintenance and aerospace ground equipment addition. The team also addressed integration and protection strategies for a historic hangar and developed concepts for sunshades to support flightline operations. To accelerate alignment and keep decisions moving, we paired planning with visualization by producing schematic floor plans and interior renderings that helped stakeholders quickly compare options, validate operational flow, and commit to a direction with confidence. The result was a streamlined, mission-forward plan that met expanding needs within a constrained footprint and energized our client partners.