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Neighborhood-scale homes create equitable communities.

 

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How can middle homes help my community?

 

Create more housing choices and inclusiveness

Neighborhood-scale homes offer choice and inclusion that helps people afford to live in the community of their choice. Neighborhood-scale homes also provide a path to homeownership.

 Support local jobs & economy

Neighborhood-scale homes are typically built and financed by local companies and they allow people to live in the communities where they work.

Give families flexibility

Neighborhood-scale homes like ADUs help seniors age in place and create separate housing to help loved ones and community members in times of need.

 

Build on what we already have

Neighborhood-scale homes fit seamlessly into scarce urban land, blending gently into existing communities and structures without disrupting daily life.

Great for the environment

ADUs are highly energy-efficient to build and to live in because of their size and ease of construction. They also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing commutes.

Naturally affordable

ADUs are naturally affordable because they cost less to build. They are less expensive to rent as well.

 
Small Housing Testimonials

More and more cities are realizing that their zoning is broken and asking it to be fixed to incentivize this type of housing… Many communities are really struggling with housing that is affordable and are looking for ways to provide more choices. Builders are thinking about how they can meet this shifting demand.

Research shows that 90 percent of the housing built between now and 2040 will need to be missing middle housing or what we call "Upper Missing Middle," which are slightly larger housing types, to meet the demand for non-single family housing. The timing is right. The market is waiting. The question is, will individuals and communities respond?

Architect Daniel Parolek, author of “Missing Middle Housing”

"20th-century zoning laws made it illegal to have the traditional mix of uses found in older cities, where offices and apartments exist above retail stores and corner shops are in residential neighborhoods. These types of businesses are basic prerequisites for walkability — i.e., mixing different uses within walking distance so people can live, shop, work, go to school and play without having to drive."

Urban Planner Joel Russell

 

Read ADU law:

The California Department of Housing and Community Development’s website is the ultimate research tool for housing policy.

Visit HCD

Explore resources to help policymakers & professionals add more neighborhood-scale homes in any California jurisdiction: