RDG Planning and Design’s Dolores Silkworth accepts an Honor Award from Iowa American Society of Landscape Architects President Emily Larson for “Green Streets for Omaha.” The award was presented April 5 at the organization’s annual spring conference in Des Moines. An Award-Winning Green Plan for Omaha’s Streets Editor’s Note: “Green Streets for Omaha” is the recipient of an Honor Award from the Iowa chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. It was presented April 5 at the organization’s annual spring conference in Des Moines. The jury cited the project’s excellence at focusing on corridors in relationship to use and need; its excellent graphics, concepts and format; and its succinct message and purpose. What is the single largest category of public space in Omaha? The answer may surprise you. City streets account for more land than all of Omaha’s parks, trails, schools, college campuses, public buildings and other public facilities combined. More than 2,000 miles of them pass through many different neighborhoods and types of land use. A new master plan completed this spring calls for their “greening.” The plan, titled “Green Streets for Omaha,” defines a proposed Green Streets system for the city. It establishes design and landscape standards, addresses maintenance concepts and standards, and lays out a process to help identify priorities for implementation. The Urban Design Element (UDE) recognizes the importance of street design to the overall character of Omaha,” said Connie Spellman, director of Omaha by Design. “The completion of a Green Streets master plan, one of its 73 recommendations, is a major accomplishment. It brings the UDE off the shelf and into the life of our city.” Sponsored by the City of Omaha and Mayor Mike Fahey in conjunction with the Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property, the plan is the work of a diverse task force comprised of representatives from the city’s public works and planning departments, Omaha by Design, the Omaha Public Power District, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Mulhall’s Nursery and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. RDG Planning and Design served as the project consultant. Abbott Drive, pictured above near Eppley Airport, has been transformed from an unwelcoming environment into one of the city’s premier examples of street design. The plan is divided into six chapters. The first identifies models and patterns for Green Streets, including local and national examples. The second examines the existing types of Omaha streets, including the city’s historic boulevard system, as well as their context. Subsequent chapters deal with retrofitting existing streets, installation and maintenance standards, and implementation and financing. “It’s really a new way of thinking about our city streets,” said Steven Scarpello, director of Omaha’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Property. “When we think of streets as both public spaces and pathways for traffic, the needs of functionality and appearance coincide. They can be efficient and attractive.” Abbott Drive, for example, has traditionally been the link between downtown Omaha and the airport. In 2000, a major grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation funded a total redesign of the street, transforming an unwelcoming environment into one of the city’s premier examples of street design. Its hallmark feature is its strongly defined edge created by regularly-spaced trees and modern custom-designed globe lights at a human scale. "The Abbott Drive project shows that streets have the potential to transform the public environment,” said Dolores Silkworth of RDG, project manager for the master plan. “Beautiful, tree-lined streets may be the single most effective way to convey a high quality of life within our city.” In addition to creating a better city image for marketing purposes, the plan - when implemented - can result in improved traffic safety, increased property values, increased pedestrian and bicycle access, better stormwater management and upgraded development, Scarpello said. At one time in the city’s history, Woolworth Avenue, pictured above, served as a streetcar corridor between Park and 32nd avenues. “Our streets should be more than conduits for moving cars. They should be ‘green’ in more ways than one – green in their landscape and appearance, green in their management of environmental effects and green by encouraging energy efficient and healthy means of transportation,” said Marty Shukert of RDG, principal planner for the project. Scarpello cited the project’s collaborative nature and the commitment of the parks department’s Larry Foster, Walt Mertz and Pat Slaven as key to the success of the final product. The Green Streets master plan will be available on the city’s web site in the near future. For more information, contact Slaven at pslaven@ci.omaha.ne.us. Main Page