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.

How a Form-Based Code Generated over $500 Million in Downtown Infill Projects and Transformed a Sleepy Downtown

In 2014, Opticos Design worked with the City of Mesa, Arizona to create a Master Plan and Form-Based Code (FBC) that would provide incentives for redevelopment in their downtown core and along a five-mile stretch of Main Street. The Plan and Code focused development around three new transit stations to allow for a network of new walkable, public spaces. Prior to the adoption of the plan and FBC, there had been no private-sector investment in downtown Mesa in over three decades.

Form-Based Code Cartoon Series

Designer Beth Cichon, with the help of Associate Erick Bernabe and Sr Associate Tony Perez, has been illustrating a cartoon series about Form-Based Codes. The cartoons take a fun approach to educating readers on how FBCs can help improve your city or neighborhood.

A Fresh Start for Founding Culdesac Residents and Businesses

Vertical construction on Culdesac Tempe is now well underway, with several buildings in the main entry plaza almost fully completed and future residents ready to make it their new home in 2022. The country’s first car-free community built from scratch promises a vibrant, walkable community that includes a restaurant, grocery store and coffee shop, amongst other amenities. While it is hard to find these types of retail tenants, especially early on in a mixed use project like this, Culdesac not only made it a priority, but also made a special effort to find small, locally owned businesses to support the local economy and reinforce a unique experience within the Culdesac community for residents and visitors.

Memphis, TN Amends Local Building Code to Allow up to Six Units Under Residential Building Code (IRC) to Enable Missing Middle Housing

On November 1, 2021, Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee, rolled back a significant, but lesser noted regulatory hurdle to building missing middle in the US, by locally amending building codes to enable structures of 3 to 6 dwelling units to be reviewed by the city and county under their residential building code rather than the commercial building code that typically triggers at three units or more. For Andre Jones, a local builder and member of the City and County’s Building Code Advisory Board, the push to become one of the first jurisdictions to review missing middle housing under the residential code could not have come at a better time.