Accessory Dwelling Units
When Zoning Reform Isn’t Enough: How To Boost Missing Middle Housing
For upzoning efforts to result in a significant rise in new housing units, cities and states must do more than just change zoning codes to ensure missing middle housing is easy and affordable to build.
Napa County Announces Forgivable Loans for Affordable ADU Rentals
Homeowners in the county will be eligible for the loans if they comply with affordability requirements for five years.
That ADU Would Make a Nice Airbnb
An Airbnb co-founder is jumping in the pre-fab backyard cottage game—but will too many ADUs become short-term rentals to make a difference for housing costs?
Jacksonville Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units
The city expanded the areas where homeowners can build ADUs in an effort to boost housing supply and affordable rental units.
San Antonio Debates ‘Casita’ Regulations
The city wants to incentivize the construction of backyard dwelling units, but some councilmembers want to proceed cautiously to ensure the policy benefits local homeowners.
Do Owner Occupancy Requirements Constrain Housing Supply?
Born out of a fear of absentee owners and rapacious investors, owner-occupancy requirements can have the contradictory effects of excluding renters from neighborhoods and limiting the number of rental units available.
Berkeley ADU Rules Found in Violation of State Law
A regulation limiting the number and size of ADUs in the Berkeley Hills runs afoul of state law, but supporters say it protects the safety of residents in fire-prone areas.
San Diego County Cities Lean on ADUs as Affordable Housing Solution
Some jurisdictions are making ADUs easier and cheaper to build, but rents on even small units remain high as the region struggles to meet its housing production goals.
Smart Growth Plan Hopes to Rein in Sprawl in Walla Walla
The Washington city reformed its zoning code to support more multifamily development and a diversity of housing types to meet the needs of its growing population.
Chicago ADUs Concentrated in More Affluent Neighborhoods
An analysis of city-issued permits shows that homeowners in gentrified wards are building accessory dwelling units at much higher rates than those in less well-off communities.
Miami-Dade Moves to Make Zoning Changes to Boost Housing Supply
The county hopes proposals to legalize accessory rental units and encourage transit-oriented development will mitigate the region’s housing crisis.
South Bend’s Infill Plans Include Pre-Approved Multi-Family Designs
South Bend commits to infill development by pre-approving a suite of residential development options.
San Antonio Considering Major Development Code Overhaul
Neighborhood registration and accessory dwelling units are among the hot button items included in a package of 193 proposed amendments to the San Antonio Unified Development Code.
Closing the Homeownership Knowledge Gap
An Oakland program geared at Black homeowners wants to empower households to understand the opportunities in building and renting accessory dwelling units.
Denver Struggling to Unlock the Potential of Accessory Dwelling Units
Why doesn’t Denver build more ADUs? It’s complicated.
How To Build More Affordable Housing in Idaho
Idaho cities can remove barriers to development, adjust zoning codes, and encourage the construction of accessory dwelling units and single-occupancy apartments to sustainably accommodate the state’s growing population.
California Density Law Didn’t Kill the Single-Family Neighborhood
After the passage of a contentious zoning reform law that encourages ‘light infill’ in single-family neighborhoods, few California households have submitted applications to build extra units, largely due to onerous restrictions imposed by local laws.
Whitefish ADU Ordinance Could Ease Housing Crunch
Recently approved revisions to the city’s accessory dwelling unit regulations prioritize long-term rentals to increase housing affordability for local renters.
Opinion: Accessory Dwelling Units Will Benefit San Antonio
As the city considers loosening regulations on accessory dwelling units, one writer argues that the reforms would boost affordable housing and provide more options for changing household needs.
Four ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Zoning Reforms
An excerpt from the latest book on zoning argues for four approaches to reform that can immediately improve land use regulation in the United States.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
