
Missing Middle Housing
Walkable, attainable communities people love to call home
Opticos principal Daniel Parolek inspired a new movement for housing choice in 2010 when he introduced the concept of the “missing middle” in American housing. Today, Opticos creates innovative architectural designs to help build walkable communities with unique, diverse housing choices that are attainable for all.

Zoning codes for
people-centered places
Opticos is a world leader in zoning reform for walkable, sustainable communities. We didn’t create form-based coding, but we’ve been trailblazers in the field for more than 20 years. We are experts in understanding how the form of buildings will shape community spaces, and we can simplify the process of introducing form-based codes with a predictable build-out.
Featured Projects
Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Tempe, Arizona
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Bungalows On The Lake at Prairie Queen: A Missing Middle Neighborhood
Papillion, Nebraska
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Downtown Davis Specific Plan + Form-Based Code
Davis, CA
Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Seaside Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida
Citywide Form-Based Code and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Framework
Cincinnati, Ohio
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Downtown Davis Specific Plan + Form-Based Code
Davis, CA
Citywide Form-Based Code and Comprehensive Plan Land Use Framework
Cincinnati, Ohio
Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Tempe, Arizona
Bungalows On The Lake at Prairie Queen: A Missing Middle Neighborhood
Papillion, Nebraska
Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Seaside Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida
Recent Awards

Latest From Opticos
On the boardsWhat we're working on
Built Form Workshop
Folsom, California
Missing Middle Housing Assessment
Brampton, ON, Canada
Objective Design Standards
Sausalito, California
Infill Courtyard Housing
Overland Park, Kansas

If You Want Safe Streets, Buy a Better Fire Engine
That lesson was brought home, once again, by the Opticos team’s work on a recent downtown plan. Our team had encountered a typical American conflict. Many community members wanted walkable streets, with wide sidewalks, protected bicycle lanes, slow-moving traffic, and ample room for trees, flowers, and sidewalk cafés. The fire department wanted wide, unobstructed swathes of asphalt. This conflict between community members’ desire for low-speed streets, with a high level of traffic safety, and a fire department’s desire for wide, high-speed roads is frequent in the United States. But in Europe, it is rare.

Opticos’ Top Public Missing Middle Applications Nationwide
While many communities, from small rural towns and counties to medium and large sized cities, share the same goal of delivering much-needed, attainably-priced housing choices, there is no one size fits all recommendation.

Creating Space for Emerging Professionals at CNU
The Emerging New Urbanists (ENU) made their first appearance at CNU this past March with the primary goal of creating a space for these emerging professionals to share with and learn from each other. They prioritized welcoming all new voices and encouraged the sharing of new ideas. Opticos Design’s very own Singeh Saliki, Cal Kurtz (ENU Co-Chair), and Beth Cichon (ENU Team Lead) have been participants since ENU’s founding, helping grow membership to nearly 100 active members.