Roger Foreman is driven to make cities more beautiful, humane, and sustainable. He relishes the challenge of gathering information directly from different communities and incorporating it into context-appropriate plans—applying principles of walkability, connectivity, sociality, ecological design, and vernacular patterns generated by local climate and culture. Trained as a musician and architect, he sees the built environment as a composition in both time and space, with physical and emotional dimensions. These considerations result in comfortable, durable, adaptable, and lovable places for present and future generations to enjoy.

Since joining Opticos in 2019, Roger has developed designs for five- to seven-unit “mansion apartment” buildings, as well as drawing on his Southwestern roots to generate unique, form-based development standards for Midtown Santa Fe. He also played a major role in preparing Dan Parolek’s recent book on Missing Middle Housing, illustrating how house-scale buildings with multiple units can fit comfortably into new and established neighborhoods. His ability to thoroughly analyze and resolve complex problems has been crucial in completing form-based codes, urban design guidelines, and Missing-Middle-Housing-friendly policy recommendations for Louisville, KY, Memphis, TN, and California cities such as Campbell, Santa Rosa, Richmond, and Sacramento.

Outside of the design studio, Roger enjoys attending concerts, singing, and playing Irish fiddle in the local pubs. Roger lives in a fourplex within walking distance of a light rail station, multiple grocery stores, and locally-owned shops and restaurants.