Omaha By Design

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Brad
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Post by Brad »

Book lays out vision for 'complete streets'

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2 ... d=10344782
JOHN PITCHER WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER wrote:What will Omaha look like in 20 years?

It will be a place of decorative streetlights and tree-lined medians, of benches without advertising and trash bins with attractive enclosures.

Bicycle lanes will hug the roads. And colorful signs will point people to downtown civic and cultural destinations.

That, in any case, is the vision of the new Omaha Streetscape Handbook.

The publication, sponsored by Omaha By Design, lists 29 "streetscape" components — ranging from benches and bicycle racks to streetlights and bus shelters — that should conform to specific new guidelines.

Connie Spellman, Omaha By Design's director, says the handbook is not a mandate for immediate change. Rather, it is a road map to guide architects and city planners when they undertake future construction or redevelopment projects.

"We see the handbook as another tool to help the city with its urban planning," Spellman said.

Last August, the City Council adopted new urban design and zoning codes, which had been developed by Omaha By Design over several years. The handbook provides the nitty-gritty details of those code revisions.

In drafting its handbook, Omaha By Design and its task force of architects, engineers and urban planning volunteers looked at the guides of other cities.

Omaha's handbook was designed to be a complete guide for developers, providing detailed information about how streets should look, as well as setting out philosophical principles of urban design.
ShawJ
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Post by ShawJ »

How an Omaha street might incorporate the guidelines

Image
StreetsOfOmaha
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

This is all REALLY great stuff!  I'm really excited to start seeing these changes (even though these things should have been done about a decade ago, if not more).
"The right to have access to every building in the city by private motorcar in an age when everyone possesses such a vehicle is actually the right to destroy the city."
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

The only thing I didn't understand was the grates.  I know what they are trying to do, however, I like the precast concrete ones where the water kind of disappears in to the curb.  Its cool how they are trying to stop debris, however who is going to clean them. They can't keep the stuff clean. we have now.  I would rather keep the much more streamlined ones we are using now and build some kind of larger collection system down in the piper where a truck could pull up and clean one big tank for the block or area instead of a few dozen grates on each block
DTO Luv
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Post by DTO Luv »

Has OBD ever actually implemented ANYTHING they've talked about? By the way I'm going to build a Sears Tower replica on the Swanson site. It's going to be great.
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thenewguy
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Post by thenewguy »

and i'm going to build an chrysler building or empire state replica on the world herald site.  That would be something, wouldn't it?

In all seriousness, a sears tower replica would look cool there.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

DTO Luv wrote:Has OBD ever actually implemented ANYTHING they've talked about?
Yes.  They have implemented a lot.  However most of it people don't see.  Most of the things implemented are stuff like retaining wall heights, building setbacks, green space requirements.
DTO Luv
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Post by DTO Luv »

I guess I thought they had loftier goals than retaining wall heights. :roll:
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

DTO Luv wrote:I guess I thought they had loftier goals than retaining wall heights. :roll:
OBD does.  The city council doesn't.
Stable genius.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

they are getting there... They had some visionary ideas, but most of Omaha by Design was to beautify new developments, which except for the wal-mart ranch bowl, they are doing a good job on.
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OmahaJaysCU
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Post by OmahaJaysCU »

Brad wrote:they are getting there... They had some visionary ideas, but most of Omaha by Design was to beautify new developments, which except for the wal-mart ranch bowl, they are doing a good job on.
Wasn't that Wal Mart the reason why the OBD standards were implemented?
TechnicalDisaster
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

OmahaJaysCU wrote:
Brad wrote:they are getting there... They had some visionary ideas, but most of Omaha by Design was to beautify new developments, which except for the wal-mart ranch bowl, they are doing a good job on.
Wasn't that Wal Mart the reason why the OBD standards were implemented?
I don't think Walmart was the reason the standards were put into place, but OBD often pointed to the Walmarts in Fort Collins CO as an example of what could be done.
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

OmahaJaysCU wrote:
Brad wrote:they are getting there... They had some visionary ideas, but most of Omaha by Design was to beautify new developments, which except for the wal-mart ranch bowl, they are doing a good job on.
Wasn't that Wal Mart the reason why the OBD standards were implemented?
I think the one that really irritated everyone that kind of got things on the fast track was the Sam's/Wal-mart on 132 and L when they built that enormous retaining wall.
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TitosBuritoBarn
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Post by TitosBuritoBarn »

I was at the American Planning Association National Conference in Las Vegas this year a few weeks ago. If you haven't been, its basically an exchange of planning techniques brought forth through 100s of different lectures attended by planners across the nation and around the world. This year, there was a lecture specifically about Omaha By Design and how it came about presented by head Omaha City Planner Steve Jensen, and....the woman who is head of Omaha By Design who I cannot remember the name of. It was fairly well attended and well regarded by the question askers during the Q&A session. Just a little fun fact
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Post by redfield »

the woman who is head of Omaha By Design who I cannot remember the name of.

Connie Spellman
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Post by nebport5 »

Omaha By Design wrote:Environment Omaha – a partnership of the City of Omaha, the community and Omaha by Design – is partnering with Community ReDesigned to launch http://www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event that invites anyone interested in Omaha to submit practical, creative and resourceful ideas for improving the sustainability of the city
Omaha By Design wrote:Pass The Potatoes is seeking project ideas in five areas:


*Preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment

*Improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take

*Improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings

*Conserving natural resources

*Improving Omaha’s overall health

pass the potatoes   launches tomorrow, July 15th
ShawJ
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Post by ShawJ »

I've noticed a ton of new trees being planted around Elmwood park, Memorial park, and Dundee. Is this something the OBD is in charge of, or just the city?

Either way, I'm pleased to see it happening.
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Coyote
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Re: Omaha By Design

Post by Coyote »

Omaha by Design is moving into the former Gallery 616 on the NW corner of 11th & Jones.
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S33
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Re: Omaha By Design

Post by S33 »

Someone is actually still funding this?
Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. - Winston Churchill
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