Dan Parolek's guest appearances

Dan Parolek

American Planning Association

The Strong Towns Podcast

Brian Crombie Radio Hour

The Placemaking Podcast

Carmelia Ray

Patrick Brown

Edward Thomas

Rick Smith

Rick Allen

Don Cherry

Don Tapscott

John Wright

Paul Klein

David Miller

Barbara Gray

Elizabeth Williams

James Shapiro

Steve Cox

Carl Hansen

OwlTail

Brian Crombie speaks with Dan Parolek, Founding Principal of Opticos Design, one of the foremost urban designers and architects working to meet the growing demand for walkable urban living. The Missing Middle Housing types provide diverse housing options, such as duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and multiplexes. These house-scale buildings fit seamlessly into existing residential neighborhoods and support walkability, locally-serving retail, and public transportation options. They provide solutions along a spectrum of affordability to address the mismatch between the available U.S. housing stock and shifting demographics combined with the growing demand for walkability.

Brian Crombie speaks with Dan Parolek, Founding Principal of Opticos Design, one of the foremost urban designers and architects working to meet the growing demand for walkable urban living. The Missing Middle Housing types provide diverse housing options, such as duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and multiplexes. These house-scale buildings fit seamlessly into existing residential neighborhoods and support walkability, locally-serving retail, and public transportation options. They provide solutions along a spectrum of affordability to address the mismatch between the available U.S. housing stock and shifting demographics combined with the growing demand for walkability.

Brian Crombie Radio Hour - Epi 262 -  “The Missing Middle Housing” with Dan Parolek

The idea of increasing density in a neighborhood is frequently an off-putting concept for residents, but Dan Parolek has a solution: the "missing middle." He coined the term in 2010 to identify a range of housing types that provide more dwelling units than a single-family home but fewer than a midrise apartment building. These missing middle housing types—duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and more—increase density while still keeping with the scale and character of a neighborhood. His firm, Opticos Design, helps communities implement form-based coding to allow for these structures. Dan shares the firm's ideas and work with host Courtney Kashima, AICP, including a project in South Bend, Indiana, that tackles the issue of one neighborhood's 500 vacant lots and how to build on them. He stresses the need for a foundation of physical design within planning—without turning planners into designers. Courtney and Dan also explore his career path: He started as an architect but quickly realized he wanted to earn a graduate degree in urban design. After being told by several firms that he needed to choose one discipline or the other, he founded Opticos—a creative maneuver that allowed him the freedom to work on his dual passions.

The idea of increasing density in a neighborhood is frequently an off-putting concept for residents, but Dan Parolek has a solution: the "missing middle." He coined the term in 2010 to identify a range of housing types that provide more dwelling units than a single-family home but fewer than a midrise apartment building. These missing middle housing types—duplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and more—increase density while still keeping with the scale and character of a neighborhood. His firm, Opticos Design, helps communities implement form-based coding to allow for these structures. Dan shares the firm's ideas and work with host Courtney Kashima, AICP, including a project in South Bend, Indiana, that tackles the issue of one neighborhood's 500 vacant lots and how to build on them. He stresses the need for a foundation of physical design within planning—without turning planners into designers. Courtney and Dan also explore his career path: He started as an architect but quickly realized he wanted to earn a graduate degree in urban design. After being told by several firms that he needed to choose one discipline or the other, he founded Opticos—a creative maneuver that allowed him the freedom to work on his dual passions.

People Behind the Plans: Dan Parolek