Greening America’s Capitals – Lincoln

The South Capitol area of Lincoln, Nebraska has the key ingredients of a walkable neighborhood. It is an historic area close to downtown with mature trees, well-maintained housing, mixed land use along major streets, a school, and local small businesses. This area provides an opportunity to model environmentally friendly streetscapes that treat every drop of rainwater as a precious resource and provide greater transportation options.

BNIM and Vireo collaborated with the EPA’s Greening America’s Capitals program and with local residents, business owners, students, and city Urban Development Department staff to develop an environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable vision for the South Capitol area. The vision proposes increasing safety and comfort for pedestrians, improving streets and parking for bicycles and cars, creating outdoor gathering spaces, infiltrating rainwater, and increasing opportunities for small business. Together, these improvements will not only improve the aesthetic appearance of the area but will also increase the environmental performance and development potential.

Through a three-day charrette process, the stakeholders established a vision for the future of this area: Build upon the rich identity of the South Capital area by increasing safety, promoting history, art, and education, reinvesting in housing and small business, and improving the streets and sidewalks to have more environmental benefits.