As part of a team led by Opticos Design, Siegman & Associates has been working with the City of Davis, CA, to replace a cumbersome and sometimes contradictory collection of downtown plans, policies, and guidelines with a clear, succinct plan and code. On Tuesday, the new plan and its accompanying form-based code were unanimously approved by the City Council.

The plan is grounded in thorough economic analyses. Yet it also aims to make downtown Davis a national model of sustainability: carbon neutral, equitably accessible, and zero waste by 2040.

To increase the feasibility of new private investment, minimum parking regulations are removed. The plan also reduces traffic and pollution by investing in transit, bicycle, and pedestrian infrastructure; adding traffic-reducing code requirements; and improving employee transportation choices with measures such as free transit passes. Demand-based parking pricing incentivizes employees to move from overcrowded curb parking to underused garages, while generating new revenue to support downtown. Incentives for converting inefficient private lots into shared public parking minimize the need for parking construction, while freeing up space for a new public square.

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