MOD X’s Post

"If you could change one thing to enable better design in housing, what would it be?" The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies recently surveyed 1,300 professionals involved in every aspect of housing production Nationwide. The top responses to this question; 📜 Overly restrictive zoning ✏ Onerous design guidelines 🏘 Increase in allowed density 🧗♀️ Two means of egress rule 🏛 Efficient municipal and community review process 🏠 Allowing smaller housing https://lnkd.in/eWFYTZWp

Happy to announce that my article on discriminatory zoning regulations for manufactured housing in the US has been published in the American Planning Association’s Zoning Practice.  Zoning Practice is available online through a subscription but many agencies and firms have subscriptions. https://lnkd.in/eSnA3BQf In summary though, I don't paint a very flattering picture. Almost a century of discriminatory policies by the planning profession against a particular form of residential architecture has effectively blocked consideration of manufactured housing as a key component of any affordable housing strategy. My conclusion thus poses 3 questions for professional planners to ask themselves: 1. Do the zoning regulations in your jurisdictions comply with your state zoning enabling laws, with regard to manufactured housing? 2. Do the zoning regulations in your jurisdictions regulate manufactured homes as a form of residential architecture differently from stick-built homes and, if so, is there a legitimate, rational planning basis for why they are regulated differently? 3. Are outdated restrictions on and design standards for manufactured homes in your jurisdictions impeding efforts to address the critical housing affordability crisis in your communities?

Important perspective here

Friend of Casita University of California, Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation has created an important interactive resource that demonstrates how builders and developers determine feasibility for housing projects. This tool and the accompanying updated report explore the many factors behind the decisions of what gets built. If you’ve ever wondered why public subsidy and other interventions are needed to build homes that are affordable for low and moderate income tenants and owners, wonder no more–hop on the link and try out the interactive tool yourself! Read more: https://lnkd.in/g8arVT6V #MiddleHousing #BuildTheMiddle #HousingInnovation

I don’t often post on here. However, I just spoke at City Hall for the first time at a housing and planning committee meeting as a member of my neighborhood’s zoning committee. I spoke on accessibility concerns regarding a new upcoming residential development. If you are interested in hearing what I had to say and the questions / remarks asked afterwards, here is the link to watch the video. Skip to 51 minutesto (my speech) the item does start at 31 minutes if you’d like to listen to my collegues as well. I don’t often post on Facebook. However, I just spoke at City Hall for the first time at a housing and planning committee meeting as a member of my neighborhood’s zoning committee. I spoke on accessibility concerns regarding a new upcoming residential development. If you are interested in hearing what I had to say and the questions / remarks asked afterwards, here is the link to watch the video. Skip to 51 minutesto (my speech) the item does start at 31 minutes if you’d like to listen to my collegues as well. Accessibility and universal design has to start somewhere and the earlier the better. When accessibility is a background thought or a item on a checklist that is pushed to side until the last minute, you’re left with little wiggle room to make changes to the design. https://lnkd.in/gv5KDxq2

Great article on student housing design trends! Learn more from the insights provided by our very own Carl Winstead and Logan Luzader. #ImagineAPlace #StudentHousing #ClineDesign

The NYU Furman Center's Faculty Director Ingrid Gould Ellen joined the @The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution to discuss the release of a new policy proposal on improving the single-family rental market, a joint effort with the Urban Institute's Laurie Goodman. Critics argue that large, institutional investors in the single-family market have concerning effects such as inflating housing prices and increasing rents more aggressively. But the authors of the paper suggest that the current data tells a more nuanced story. "Ownership for rental units is one of the best kept secrets," said Faculty Director Ellen on the need for more transparency. "Such transparency would benefit renters too." The authors propose three policy recommendations: 1️⃣ Adopt and enforce rental registries 2️⃣ Impose additional requirements by scale of investors 3️⃣ Improve renovation financing for owner-occupants Read the full paper here: https://buff.ly/40mfXEu

After speaking at the Missing Middle Summit on May 23 and listening the other speakers run through all the phases of the development process for infill housing I was struck by 4 avoidable pain points in the development process. @BlueLionBuilding we do so many of these things in house so listening to so many thoughtful experts discuss their niches of the development process helped awaken me from my dogmatic slumber. Four major things that make sense when you're doing them, but seem wrong with a little perspective: 2 of 4 - Disconnect between what zoning bylaws allow and what missing middle housing can/should be: I'm thrilled to see City Council vote 23-1 in favour of the Major Streets branch of the EHON initiatives and adding an amendment to increase the cap from 30 to 60 units. Thrilled. I'm thrilled to see celebrated Toronto architects undertake research projects to contemplate what 6 storey multiplexes could look like in the middle of neighbourhoods.  I’m thrilled to attend conferences of thoughtful professional contemplating this whole development model. But as far as creating missing middle housing is concerned I think these victories remain more symbolic than effective as a city building tool. The overwhelming majority of everyday lots in this city cannot support a project of that scale without additional minor variances. Maybe those variances are reasonable and awarded with minimal delay or conflict, but like the other EHON initiatives before it, this is not a declaration that Toronto's streets are open to the creation of housing.  I think that only comes with the further opening of zoning bylaws to allow a broad range of housing types to be built without minor variances on most lots, or a radical reconfiguration of the minor variance process to replace the public hearing components with the review and approval of City staff.  Anything less than that is to entrap ‘minor’ variances in a process befitting major zoning changes.

An intriguing article on ADUs as part of the multi-pronged solution to the housing shortage. Here in Middleton (WI), a revamp of the zoning ordinance has provided some very progressive guidance on ADUs - including the potential use of "modular" units (such as have become very popular in Europe, Canada, and on the US coasts). This is a much-welcomed and complementary aspect to the rampant construction of high-end apartments (which are not often that affordable and now commonly require a 50% income threshold as opposed to the historic HUD 30% rule...). The notion of linking financing mechanisms, as well as reducing regulatory burdens (i.e., not quite sure how City Building Inspectors are going to embrace these units), holds promise. The point is that this issue isn't just reserved to Boston and other major cities. I'd love to hear from others who have taken on new approaches to this issue (e.g., municipally-funded land banks and ADUs/smaller units as a means of underwriting land development costs, etc.). Oh, and please don't forget to mention energy efficiency (and cost savings) in your examples! Check out these videos: https://lnkd.in/gFAke7yt or instagram.com/kerrytarnow/.

Consider bringing your innovative solutions to the National Mall and joining the associated conversations and panels to help bring these solutions to fruition.