Shaking Up the 21st-Century Multifamily Market with a Missing Middle Neighborhood

What happens when a developer with passion for Missing Middle Housing buys and renovates 300+ units of historic Missing Middle Housing in Midtown Omaha, then gets bored while developing a few suburban garden apartments?

Taking Sides? With Walkability, There’s No Need

As advocates of walkable, livable places, we’ve been involved in urban design discussions around the country and worldwide, observing, learning and understanding firsthand the key steps to successfully creating walkable places—and supporting existing ones.

The “Missing Middle” Housing Affordability Solution

It’s one thing when the economic theory of supply and demand affects the prices of our consumer goods, but it’s particularly problematic when it affects our basic need for a home.

A Tale of Three Places

There are lots of ways to define and think about walkability, but for us, it’s clear: walkability and nice places go hand-in-hand. We look at three places and discover what’s working and what’s not.

Alphabet Soup for Zoning? No Thanks, I’ll Have It Form-Based

With our goals of strengthening communities and improving lives, Opticos Design has developed and refined Form-Based Coding as a highly effective zoning tool to reinforce the character and quality of a place. Below, Tony Perez, Opticos’ Director of Form-Based Coding, responds to a recent piece by David Walters highlighting the need for clarity and local relevance in zoning.