Allowing housing units to be built on small or irregular lots is a gamechanger for cities that are fighting the housing crisis. Here’s why that allowance is so important and how three developers are using small units and creativity to bring more housing options to their communities.
Read MoreModern zoning, building and fire codes make it impossible to build many of the types of housing that people actually want to live in. Reforming those codes to allow for single-stair construction can help undo some of this damage.
Read MoreNorth America is facing two widespread crises at the same time: housing and loneliness. This group is proving that cohousing might be the solution to both.
Read MoreIn 2017, California passed a law that was supposed to open up new levels of incremental development. But in many cities, zoning codes still make that development near-impossible. The city of Ukiah is working to change that.
Read MoreWhen housing is scarce, the affordability and quality of it tend to go down. If we want to solve this, we need more housing supply—but how do we make that happen? (Hint: Not necessarily through large-scale federal programs!)
Read MoreA bill to legalize certain forms of “missing middle” housing statewide in Minnesota appears dead in the legislature. Yet, here are 4 reasons why it’s still not a total loss.
Read MoreHere’s one important question to ask about how your city regulates housing.
Read MoreDowntowns are the symbolic heart and soul of a city, and the economic center, writes Emma Durand-Wood. To build a resilient one, you need diversity in housing, jobs, shops, services, and more.
Read MoreThe rhetoric around housing can get pretty heated, so here’s how one advocacy group in Winnipeg, MB, decided to show a little love and positivity to the residents of some new infill housing.
Read MoreSpokane, WA, has finalized its year-long effort to legalize more housing choices across the city—and their new code is something other cities should be paying attention to.
Read MoreRestrictive zoning can make it so that smaller residential developments face the same prohibitively expensive restrictions as larger commercial units. But the state of North Carolina has passed a new bill to address this issue.
Read MoreThe momentum for ADUs gets a big boost from the federal government with a new policy to encourage homes with rental units.
Read MoreNew Zealand has proven what stateside housing advocates have been theorizing for years: Loosening restrictive zoning rules can increase housing supply and stabilize rents.
Read MoreOn July 20, 2023, the city council of Austin, TX, passed resolutions that advocates hope will help ease the city’s ongoing housing crisis.
Read MoreHouston has long been a poster child for urban planning ills—but now it’s set to pass a revision of its land-use ordinances that could trigger a wave of construction for missing-middle housing.
Read MoreThe single least expensive way to produce a lot of new housing is to follow a template that was once used in virtually every city. Unfortunately, most North American cities effectively prohibit it today. Does yours?
Read MoreHousing affordability in places like Austin, TX, has reached an unacceptable zenith. This local teacher—who works two jobs just to afford her family’s rent—makes the case for zoning reform.
Read MoreWith many baby boomers wanting to downsize, the housing market is dominated by large, single-family homes…but that’s not the kind of housing that’s in demand, anymore. Here’s why this is bad news for all generations.
Read MoreWhile other places keep finding ways to say “no” to new housing, this Indiana city is offering pre-approved development templates to small-scale developers at no cost.
Read MoreLast week, the city council of Spokane, WA, voted on a truly “bold, transformational package” that will allow for more forms of missing-middle housing and infill development in the city.
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