Placemaking Projects Form-Based Codes News

How Form-Based Codes Can Make Neighborhoods Great

Opticos Design has partnered with the Project for Public Spaces and the City of Omaha, Nebraska, to host an educational Form-Based Code workshop in the city’s Benson neighborhood. The public workshop will discuss how Omaha neighborhoods can use FBCs to promote smart, sustainable growth.

The once-vacant storefronts along Maple Street in the historic neighborhood of Benson on Omaha’s north side have nearly all been filled with bars, restaurants, galleries, and music venues catering to a young professional crowd. City officials hope that Benson could be a catalyst for FBC implementation throughout Omaha.

Opticos principal Dan Parolek and Director of Form-Based Coding Tony Perez are in Omaha for two days of working sessions with city staff, elected officials, and key public stakeholders, culminating in the workshop with Benson residents to talk about the principals of FBCs and how they can be implemented on a local level.

The project is funded by a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities as part of the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, which offers quick, targeted, technical assistance to local governments in order to stimulate discussions about growth and strengthen local efforts to implement sustainable concepts.

The Benson Neighborhood Design Workshop will be held Wednesday, November 20 from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at The Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple Street, Omaha, NE. No registration is necessary.

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