Lively Omaha

Urban Design Element

When the first settlers
came to Omaha ...
... they found a landscape of rolling hills and stream valleys. Starting at the Missouri River, the settlers laid out a grid of streets at right angles across the hills and valleys – as in many other U.S. cities. Over the years the original landscape has been obscured, but it is still there. The seven goals in this section seek to preserve and restore the natural landscape, add new landscape features, and create a green setting for the life of the city.

Green Streets for Omaha
You can find this plan on the city’s web site at www.ci.omaha.ne.us/parks. Click on the third link in the left-hand column (Green Streets of Omaha). You can access the plan itself in the third graph of the story
(Green Streets for Omaha).

1. Safe Floodways and Floodplains Forming a City-Wide Park System
Omaha should follow policies that minimize as far as possible the dangers to life and property present in the watershed. At the same time, the watershed and its surrounding topography are tremendous assets to the City. The City should follow policies that preserve and enhance both the creeks in the watershed and their floodplains as green, publicly accessible settings for the City. The City should also foster development policies for the area immediately surrounding the watershed that diminish negative effects on the watershed and enhance its character as a green setting for the City.