City of Los Angeles
Low-Rise Design Lab
A program intended to promote new infill housing opportunities that expand access to both ownership and rental options, helping Angelenos find attainable paths to housing while reducing existing barriers.
Numerous single-family parcels prototypical to Los Angeles were identified at the start of the project. The parcels vary in configuration, size, underlying zoning, and neighborhoods (determining proximity to transit) so that a broad range of parcels can be canvases for missing middle housing solutions.
Existing zoning parameters and State legislation were tested on five prototypical Los Angeles single-family parcels. The resultant massing studies, either maxing out at four total units (SB 9) or ten total units (SB 1123), strive to influence zoning and feasibility recommendations for missing middle housing.
The Homeowner's Guide to Missing Middle Housing serves as an educational tool for property owners. The massing studies were used to illustrate the various low-rise possibilities on single-family lots, alongside narratives that may be relatable to homeowners.