By 2035, the city anticipates significant household growth, necessitating a reassessment of housing regulations. Facing a housing shortage amidst rising costs, the proposed changes aim to:
Diversify housing options by permitting duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, while introducing size and scale limitations.
Promote community inclusivity and addresses evolving housing demands, emphasizing collaborative efforts for positive change.
Dive into the City of Portland’s housing project report to understand how these strategic changes align with the city’s dynamic future.
The Association of Bay Area Governments, based out of San Francisco, California, has developed a series of useful resources to support local planners in their communication efforts in advocating for the adoption and delivery of Gentle Density Housing. These include videos, presentations, and simple “fast fact” style messaging guidelines.
Please note: While the resources listed here are free to download, some of the resources contained within the website’s library are behind member/pay walls.
Explore the comprehensive “Missing Middle Housing Study” in Sacramento, a data-driven citywide effort addressing housing choices, walkable living, and attainable housing needs at all income levels.
Key insights:
The report puts suggested steps need to be taken to help deliver more attainable housing.
A critical step is to increase the delivery of housing at all income levels, but in a manner that is sustainable and feasible, and does not adversely impact existing infrastructure capacities (of roads, utilities, etc.) and the quality of life of existing residents.
A critical strategy is to streamline and encourage the production of smaller, simpler, less complicated and less expensive housing projects in areas that have existing infrastructure and amenities. Missing Middle Housing can fulfill this requirement, and provide an efficient way to meet this pent up demand.
This vital report informs Sacramento’s long-term planning and housing policies, prioritizing affordability, equity, and access while addressing displacement risks and proposing measures to preserve the unique character of established neighborhoods.
Based out of Melbourne, Future Homes offers a useful blueprint to consider in the delivery of pre-approved designs.
Facilitating the construction of enhanced gentle density dwellings, Future Homes was developed by the Department of Transport & Planning in Victoria and offers four distinct sets of site-less designs available for purchase, each boasting unique styles, layouts, and designs.
Key insights:
Pre-approved designs simplifies & streamlines the planning process for citizen developers and related actors
Pre-approved designs provide a versatile and customizable approach to apartment construction
Can play a central role in fostering better and more adaptable living spaces for diverse communities.
Image to the left shows Design Strategy Architecture with IncluDesign‘s “Future Homes Design A”.
Embracing the evolving needs of NSW’s growing population, the low-rise housing diversity code brings about a shift in housing choices. As households change and preferences diversify, this code facilitates the construction of well-designed dual occupancies, manor houses, and two-storey terraces through a streamlined approval process.
Following three years of extensive consultation, the code responds to the demand for homes that suit various lifestyles and budgets, contributing to the creation of vibrant, desirable communities. Explore firsthand accounts in our video series showcasing how gentle density homes have become the sought-after choice for families across diverse backgrounds.
These series of videos, developed by the New South Wales Government, highlight that gentle density homes are a form of homes that people want, need & deserve. The videos are an effective example of the power of videos in compelling storytelling, and ought to be a key component of any public engagement toolkit.
The Auckland Unitary Plan is a comprehensive and city-wide rulebook that guides how land can be used and developed in the Auckland region. It essentially sets the blueprint for the city’s growth and development over the coming years. The plan covers a wide range of topics, including where different types of buildings can be located, what activities can take place in specific areas, and the rules for preserving the environment and heritage. It’s a crucial document for city planning, ensuring that Auckland develops in a coordinated and sustainable way while considering the needs and interests of its residents.
In this video, Auckland Council explains some of the key changes to housing policy being brought about by the AUP, including the role that missing middle housing can play in:
Offering more diverse housing choices
Addressing gaps between single-family homes and high-rise apartments
Enhancing community character, affordability, and walkability.
The Auckland Unitary Plan is a comprehensive and city-wide rulebook that guides how land can be used and developed in the Auckland region.
The Plan essentially sets the blueprint for the city’s growth and development over the coming years. The plan covers a wide range of topics, including where different types of buildings can be located, what activities can take place in specific areas, and the rules for preserving the environment and heritage. It’s a crucial document for city planning, ensuring that Auckland develops in a coordinated and sustainable way while considering the needs and interests of its residents.
You can read a summary of the report on the Auckland City Council website, or alternatively for the full legislative breakdown, click here.
When redevelopment of older Edmonton neighbourhood areas occurred, it was assumed that it would require infrastructure upgrades to meet current standards. However, infrastructure upgrades are costly, and may be a significant barrier to developing infill homes. Furthermore, evidence is proving that density and fire flows are not linearly correlated.
As this Case Study outlines, Edmonton has developed a mechanism to assess the existing fire flows on a site by site basis to determine if additional fire flow infrastructure is actually needed for an infill development. This site by site assessment has proven to be effective in understanding that there is not a requirement for additional, costly infrastructure in many cases, thereby resulting in significant avoided costs.
The City of New Westminster has allowed secondary suites in all single-family residential zones since 1998.
Between 2015-2017 during updates to the city’s OCP, what emerged through demographic and statistical analysis demonstrated a huge gap in ground-oriented multi-family housing in the community; conversations in neighbourhoods has revealed that people were moving away to find ground-oriented, family-friendly housing.
The housing forms that generated the highest level of support were laneway houses, townhouses and rowhouses. While the OCP update was still underway, the City launched Phase One of the Infill Housing Program, which allowed laneway houses and carriage houses in almost all single-family zones.
This Small Housing Case Study explores New Westminster’s Infill Housing Program, the key actors driving it, the lessons learned, and anticipated next steps.
The City of Kelowna is one of Canada’s fastest growing cities. Infill housing has emerged as a significant piece of City’s overall growth strategy and supports many of the housing goals established in the 2040 Official Community Plan.
Historically, zoning has been the biggest barrier to building much needed housing supply. To address this barrier, the City is focusing on expanding permissions, unlocking land for building infill, and streamlining development processes to create more homes more quickly.
Focusing on promoting and encouraging new forms of infill development, City staff hosted the Infill Design Challenge Competition (IDC 1.0) in 2015-16 and Infill Design Challenge Competition 2.0 in 2021. This Small Housing Case Study explores Kelowna’s Infill Housing Program, the key actors driving it, the lessons learned, and anticipated next steps.
