We are urban designers and architects who believe in the transformative power of beautiful, sustainable, walkable communities for all.
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.
We Can Help By
Featured Projects
Culdesac Tempe: A Car-Free Neighborhood
Tempe, Arizona
Daybreak Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida
Citywide Place Types Strategy and Form-Based Code
Cincinnati, Ohio
Prairie Queen Missing Middle Neighborhood
Omaha, Nebraska
Think Big, Think Small
Richmond, California
Memphis 3.0 Comprehensive Plan
Memphis, TN
Vallco Town Center Specific Plan
Cupertino, CA
Citywide Place Types Strategy and Form-Based Code
Cincinnati, Ohio
Think Big, Think Small
Richmond, California
Daybreak Mews Homes™
South Jordan, Utah
Town Square and Beachfront Master Plan
Seaside, Florida
Prairie Queen Missing Middle Neighborhood
Omaha, Nebraska
Sustainable Growth Strategy and Code
Akanda, Gabon, Africa
Recent Awards
Kauaʻi Kākou General Plan Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan
Kaua'i General Plan
Kaua’i, HI
Kauaʻi Kākou General Plan Outstanding Plan Award
Kaua'i General Plan
Kaua’i, HI
Latest From Opticos
On the boards:What we're working on
Iowa City Form-Based Code Analysis
Iowa City, IA
Downtown San Rafael Precise Plan
San Rafael, California
Nystrom Village Conceptual Master Plan
Richmond, California
Courtyard Infill Housing
Ralston, NE
The End of Single-Family Zoning
Your City/State Just Enabled Multiple Units on Every Lot. Here are Six Tips for Successful Implementation.
How to Get By-Right Zoning Right
In November of 2016, Opticos Principal Karen Parolek keenly identified that ‘by-right zoning’ was getting lots of buzz as a tool to help with California’s housing crisis: We need 180,000 dwellings each year by 2025 to keep up with demand.
Building Types in Zoning, Part 1: Why?
Building types are a key component of the physical environment and have existed for millennia in all types of walkable places: from crossroads and small towns to every size of city. Building types and the public realm have made all of these places. But despite their existence before zoning, building types were left aside when zoning focused on the separation of uses while relegating physical form and character to a non-essential role. The physical realities and qualities of walkable places that existed long before zoning were now viewed through the lens of use, density and Floor Area Ratio (FAR): a lens that is not capable of recognizing physical form and character.