"Opticos is unlike any other consultant I have worked with: They have come up with creative ideas that provide the ‘game changers’ that Richmond needs!"

— Richard Mitchell, Planning Director, Richmond, California

Innovative. Passionate. Changemakers.

We believe in the transformative power of beautiful, sustainable, walkable communities for all.

Opticos is a team of urban designers, architects, and strategists who can help you find new solutions to the most challenging housing and community issues of our time. How do we build walkable communities that support social, mental and physical health while improving resiliency and promoting equity? How do we foster informed community conversation about local development and provide choice, attainability and affordability in the housing market? How do we help cities evolve, celebrating the existing community and avoiding unwanted gentrification? How do we encourage walkable communities in a car-centered culture?

We are the architects of a movement.

Opticos was founded in 2000 on the belief that walkable places are critical for healthy, resilient and equitable communities. Through that expertise, we introduced the concept of Missing Middle Housing, a transformative idea that highlights the need for diverse, affordable housing options in walkable urban places. In addition, we are leaders in the development of Form-Based Coding, zoning reform needed to make those walkable places a reality. Through our work, we are changing cities, communities and lives.

Mission-Driven Design

We are a founding B Corporation, which means we have pledged to run our firm with a focus on social, environmental and economic responsibility: a triple bottom line. This commitment informs everything we do, from the projects we work on to the pencils we use to do the work. And we work hard to practice what we preach – shopping locally, living small and biking, walking or taking transit to work.

Get in touch

Leadership Team

Daniel Parolek, Founding Principal

Karen Parolek, Founding Principal

Stefan Pellegrini, Principal

Tony Perez, Senior Associate

John Miki, Studio Manager

Alexandra Vondeling, Senior Associate

Jennifer Settle, Senior Associate (Chicago)

Megan Reineccius, Associate II (Chicago)

Mitali Ganguly, Associate II

Drew Finke, Associate II

Cecilia J. Kim, Associate II

Caroline Cochran, Associate I

Erick Bernabe, Associate I

Niklas Thorsrud, Associate I

Amanda Wiltz, Operations Manager

Megan Jennings, Finance & Risk Manager

Tiffany Haas, Marketing Manager

Studio

Xenia Alygizou, Senior Designer

Singeh Saliki, Senior Designer

Joseph Abbamonte, Senior Designer

Diksha Singh, Senior Designer

Russell Toler, Senior Designer

Daniel Grinspan, Senior Designer

Patrica Céspedes, Senior Designer

Roger Foreman, Designer II

Leigh Groninger, Designer II

Dylan Rumsey, Designer II

Kiara Gutierrez Forbes, Designer I

Amy Bruhmuller, Finance & Operations Coordinator

“It was a pleasure working with the staff at Opticos, not only for their experience and knowledge, but also for their creativity, sense of humor when needed, and resilient commitment to ensuring that the best possible final product was achieved despite budgetary limitations. Thank you for a job well done!"

Roger Eastman
Former Zoning Code Administrator, City of Flagstaff, AZ

“Opticos played a key role in guiding the Avalon Walnut Creek design team to solutions that bridged the gap between the intent of the community planning charrette, the formal architectural standards and the realities of construction. The end result is a project that the community and project owners can be very proud.”

Jeff White
Sr Development Director, AvalonBay Communities

Awards Highlights

2023 PCBC Gold Nugget Award of Merit

Best Multi-Family Housing Community - under 17 du/acre

Papillion, Nebraska
2022 FBCI Form-Based Code Award

Multi-jurisdictional Objective Design + Development Standards

Marin County, California
2021 APA Hawaii Outstanding Planning Award

West Kaua‘i Community Plan

Kaua'i County, HI
2021 CNU Charter Award: Metropolis, City and Town

Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan

Memphis, TN
2021 CNU Merit Charter Award: Emerging Projects

Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood

Tempe, AZ
2020 NAHB Best in American Living™ Platinum Award for Game Changer

Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood

Tempe, AZ
2020 NAHB Best in American Living™ Judges’ Discretionary Award for Innovative Site and Content Strategies, Multifamily (Development up to 3 Stories, For Rent)

Bungalows On The Lake at Prairie Queen: A Missing Middle Neighborhood

Papillion, NE
2020 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan

Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan

Memphis, TN
2019 APA Tennessee Chapter Outstanding Plan Award

Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan

Memphis, TN
2019 Kauaʻi Kākou General Plan Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan

Kaua'i General Plan

Kaua’i, HI
2018 Kauaʻi Kākou General Plan Outstanding Plan Award

Kaua'i General Plan

Kaua’i, HI
2018 FBCI Driehaus Form-Based Code Award

Akanda SmartCode

Libreville, Gabon
2017 FBCI Driehaus Form-Based Code Award

Nashville Downtown Code

Nashville, TN
2016 National APA Pierre L’Enfant International Planning Achievement Award

Akanda Masterplan and SmartCode

Libreville, Gabon, Africa
2015 Caltrans Excellence in Transportation Award: Highway as Main Street

Highway as a Main Street

Mono County, CA
2015 Hawai’i APA Best Practice Award

South Kaua’i Community Plan and Form-Based Code

Kaua’i, HI
2015 Hawai’i APA Outstanding Planning Award

South Kaua’i Community Plan and Form-Based Code

Kaua’i, HI
2015 Texas APA Current Planning Award

CodeNEXT Land Development Code Update

Austin, TX
2015 CNU Charter Awards

The Region: Metropolis, City, and Town Merit Award: Beaufort County, S.C., Community Development Code

Beaufort County, S.C.
2015 FBCI Driehaus Award

Community Development Code

Beaufort County, SC
2014 CNU Charter Awards

Grand Prize and Best Planning Tool or Process award winner: Cincinnati Citywide Form-Based Code

Cincinnati, OH
2014 American Planning Association David Burnham Award for Comprehensive Plan

Plan Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH
2014 Driehaus Form-Based Code Award

Honorable Mention for the Cincinnati Citywide Form-Based Code

Cincinnati, OH
2014 California APA Award of Merit

Comprehensive Plan – Small Jurisdiction: Petaluma Smart Stations TOD Master Plan and SmartCode

Petaluma, CA
2013 B Lab’s 2013 B Corp Best for the Workers List

Honoring the top 10% of all Certified B Corporations in the world that have made a positive impact on their workforce
2013 CNU Charter Award

The Neighborhood, District, and Corridor: Richmond Livable Corridors

Richmond, CA