Smart Growth: Vishaan Chakrabarti at the Kentucky Theatre
Smart growth for Lexington, Kentucky means rethinking our development patterns — prioritizing intention, walkability, and density over sprawl.
That’s the central topic discussed during Vishaan Chakrabarti’s presentation at the historic Kentucky Theatre on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
Vishaan Chakrabarti is a renowned architect, urban planner, and thought leader who spoke in Lexington, Kentucky as part of Fayette Alliance’s signature education series, Grow Smart Academy.
Vishaan’s presentation provides insight into how how cities like Lexington can embrace density, equity, and sustainability — without sacrificing heritage or farmland.
The full presentation can be viewed here, and can also be viewed by topic and category below.
Suburban Sprawl vs Urban Revitalization
One of the most pressing challenges facing American cities today is the unsustainable spread of suburban sprawl. For decades, the dominant growth model in the U.S. has prioritized wide highways, low-density housing, and car-dependent development on the outskirts of cities.
The suburbs were sold to us as freedom and prosperity, but Chakrabarti argues that it’s now producing the opposite: isolation, inequality, and environmental harm.
Additionally, this growth model drains public resources. Cities must maintain more roads, utilities, and services across increasingly spread-out areas, stretching budgets thin and making public transit less viable. This monetary burden falls on the taxpaying residents.
Equity, Gentrification & Inclusive Growth
As Lexington thinks about itas future growth trajectory, Vishaan Chakrabarti reminds us that how we grow matters just as much as where we grow.
During the presentation, Vishaan Chakrabarti provided answers to one of the most urgent, complex, and misunderstood questions in urban development— “Who gets to benefit from revitalization, and who gets left behind?”
Infill and redevelopment often brings new energy, investment, and infrastructure into cities. But without intentional policy, it can also exacerbate inequality if it’s not inclusive from the start, causing longtime residents to be priced out of the very neighborhoods they helped build and sustain.
Lexington must plan for affordability, accessibility, and diversity at every stage of development.
Policy Innovations & Smart Growth Strategies
Reshaping the infrastructure of a city is less about vision, and more about policy. To promote walkability, transit-oriented development, and diverse housing types, innovative and intentional policy needs to be implemented that promotes these development patterns.
Cities grow best when they grow with purpose. For Lexington, this means investing in the urban core — focusing in density urban housing, and walkability.
In this section of his presentation, Vishaan showcases examples from other US cities who have placed a focus on planning for growth rather than reacting to growth.
Historic Preservation
Established in 1775 and originally given the nickname “The Athens of the West,” Lexington is a historic city with architecture worth preserving. That’s why it is so important to understand that density does not mean demolition.
Historic preservation plays an important role in our city’s identity, helping to attract residents and businesses, support tourism, and foster a unique sense of place that newer developments often struggle to replicate.
In his presentation, Vishaan outlines several different ways Lexington can preserve its historic architecture while also working towards building more urban housing and mixed-use development projects.
How to Efficiently Build More Urban Housing
Many US cities are facing both an increase in housing cost, and a housing shortage — not just Lexington, Kentucky.
To close his presentation, Vishaan outlines a sustainable model of housing development that Lexington can implement — one that houses more people at a lower cost, helps protect our environment, and can seamlessly integrate into Lexington’s beloved low-density neighborhoods.