Omaha by Design -Urban Design Element -

Shedding Light on the
Image of Omaha

Streetscape Handbook - Lighting

Street lights, traffic signals, signs, trees, street and sidewalk furniture are the things that identify neighborhoods and create the image of any city. Often their placement and design are not planned or coordinated and can create a sort of visual noise at street level. People may tune them out, but their sense of the city is still very much affected by them.

In Omaha, residents and visitors alike recognize the globe lights that identify the Dundee and Country Club neighborhoods or the historic streetlights in the Old Market or the “String of Pearls” that lines the route from the airport into downtown.

But Omaha does not have an official streetscape vocabulary of pedestrian level lighting fixtures, traffic signal and information signs design and placement, plus standards for consistent design and placement of sidewalk materials, landscaping, curbs, and other parts of the City’s streetscape.

Last year, Omaha by Design convened a volunteer committee of engineers, architects, landscape architects, planners and city personnel to formulate a streetscape handbook to address the issue. The handbook will standardize practices and make recommendations concerning street design. These recommendations will make streetscapes an essential part of vibrancy and connectivity of Omaha’s urban spaces

The Lighting section is the first in a series that will comprise the Streetscape Handbook. Work has begun on the next installment that will address traffic signals, traffic signs and information signage. You can view or download the lighting section of the handbook by clicking here.

This handbook initiative was born from recommendations in the
Urban Design Element of the City of Omaha Master Plan
calling for a handbook of design and installation standards for streetscape elements. A related project, the Green Streets Master Plan, addresses street trees and landscaping and will be incorporated into the Streetscape handbook. The revised Suburban Park Master Plan will also be included in the handbook

The streetscape handbook is funded by grants from the Hitchcock Family Foundation and Fund for Omaha. The time and expertise of the dedicated professionals who have volunteered their services have made this project possible.

Streetscape Handbook Committee

Charles Krajicek	Pat Slaven
City of Omaha, Public Works	City of Omaha, Parks and Recreation

Lynn Meyer	Charles Huddleston
City of Omaha , Planning Department	American Council of Engineering Companies Schemmer Associates

Roger Doehling	Larry Jacobsen, Facilitator
American Institute of Architects Schemmer Associates	American Institute of Architects Schemmer Associates

Chris Rupert	Cory Scott
American Planning Association Leo A. Daly	American Planning Association RDG Planning and Design

Dennis Bryers	Steve Rodie
City of Omaha Parks and Recreation	American Society of Landscape Architects, UNO/UNL

Dave Ciaccio	Bert Adams
American Society of Landscape Architects, Olsson Associates	Omaha Public Power District

Steve Fanslau	Tim Weander
Omaha Public Power District	NE Department of Roads

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