Thriving Communities
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MAPA partnered with the City of Omaha and Spark CDI to secure a U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) federal Thriving Communities technical assistance grant. The Thriving Communities Program aims to ensure that communities have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive.
The Thriving Communities Initiative for Omaha’s North Freeway provided targeted technical assistance and capacity building to the North Omaha community to lay the groundwork for future infrastructure improvements and economic and community revitalization. The report linked below outlines the technical assistance provided and summarizes the outputs of the Thriving Communities work program in North Omaha.
URBAN DESIGN HANDBOOK
Spark CDI created an Urban Design Toolkit, which consists of a handbook and a series of worksheets intended to be used in facilitating community-led design sessions. The Urban Design Handbook is intended as an introductory resource for individuals without traditional urban design backgrounds. It aims to guide readers through a brief overview of urban design, covering frameworks for understanding a project’s role within its neighborhood, defining scope, goals, assessments, and metrics, establishing best practices in urban design, and concluding with common mistakes to avoid.
The Urban Design Handbook is linked below as Appendix D of this report.
NEXT STEPS
To continue this work, MAPA applied for and was awarded a $1.5 million Reconnecting Communities grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance conceptual and preliminary design of improvements along the North Freeway. Work on that project is expected to start in late 2025 or early 2026.
REPORT & APPENDICES
Thriving Communities Program Final Report (May 2025)
Appendix A – Organizational Assessment
Appendix B – Content Engagement Analysis Report
Appendix C – Infrastructure Temporalities
Appendix D – Urban Design Handbook
Appendix E – Reconnecting Communities Grant Application Narrative
Appendix F – Visioning Workshop Slides and Mentimeter Survey Results
Appendix G – Community Partner Visioning Workshop Notes
Appendix H – Toolbox of Transportation Alternative Visualizations
Appendix I – Best Practices Compendium