Why tiny houses?

Tiny houses are affordable, climate-smart and climate resilient. With their smaller carbon footprint, they offer an opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of housing by requiring less materials and by using green and sustainable materials. Additionally they offer viable, efficient and scalable building solutions.

Tiny houses just make sense.

Why tiny house communities?

Attainable, climate-smart homes are an investment in healthy neighborhoods and communities. Tiny house communities increase access to secure and equitable homeownership and they represent a financially accessible pathway for wealth building for historically underserved and socially disadvantaged communities, all while encouraging diverse and inclusive communities. Tiny house communities are also versatile in their options for placement, whether in urban settings or rural areas, they offer sustainability, more housing and more housing choices.

Tiny house communities just make sense.

Missing Middle Housing terminology and conversations are happening all around, as some folks move away from the use of “affordable housing”, which is a well known housing turnoff to the NIMBYs. The Not In My Backyard Syndrome (NIMBYism) represents opposition to “affordable housing” initiatives for many reasons some of which are relative to fear, financial privilege and prejudice. The NIMBYs are those residents determined to maintain homogeneous neighborhoods, determined to “preserve” their property values and who vehemently oppose the development of affordable housing. NIMBYism results in lengthy and hostile public proceedings, frustration of consolidated plan implementation, increased development costs, property rights disputes and ultimately resulting in the inability to meet local housing needs.

Enter “Missing Middle Housing”: “a transformative concept that highlights the need for diverse, affordable housing choices in sustainable, walkable neighborhoods”. Collectively we are on board with these discussions and the efforts, as we undoubtedly support getting to affordable housing by any means necessary - tomato, tomâto.

Cottage and bungalow courts have been identified as a missing housing type in the Missing Middle Housing conversation. Cottage courts are characterized by a series of relatively small, detached houses arranged around a courtyard or greenspace. The "courtyard" of the cottage court can be designed as a playground, a social gathering space, or gardens. Their shared courtyard invites neighbors to communally enjoy the spaces and encourages diverse and inclusive communities. The characteristic layout of cottage courts can accommodate household members with special needs and is attractive to people interested in small-scale versions of cohousing. Typically, four to six bungalows or cottages would be positioned on a single lot within a residential neighborhood, as illustrated above. In high-demand urban areas, cottage courts help fill the "missing middle" of housing for renters and for first-time homebuyers. In rural areas, cottage courts help fill that "missing middle" of housing with minimal impact on agricultural land and natural areas. Cottage and bungalow courts is a housing strategy that is both budget conscious and land conscience.

The buildings in Middle Housing are generally less expensive due to their smaller square footage and/or splitting the cost of land between multiple homes; more families on less land means that costs are distributed. The housing is therefore affordable and attainable. Cottages and bungalow courts help meet housing needs and they diversify housing options.

The Missing Middle Housing conversation and tiny house communities.

Sounds and looks exactly like tiny house communities to us.

“I believe in the power of community. I believe there is strength within us as a collective.”

— Bev Gooden

FAQs

  • What is Missing Middle Housing?

    Missing Middle Housing is house scale buildings that have multiple units inside, such as cottage courts, duplexes, triplexes, quadraplexes and other residential shapes and sizes. A range of multi-unit or clustered housing types, compatible in scale with single-family homes. Missing Middle Housing was the foundation of towns and neighborhoods before car culture and suburbia took over. Missing Middle types provided lower-income households an opportunity to attain higher-quality living, to build equity and to move up the social ladder. Missing Middle Housing is key to creating the inclusive, attainable, equitable, sustainable and beautifully designed communities we need now.

  • How did we get here?

    Succinctly, zoning + racism. Much of our zoning and other land-use policies, some of them dating back to the early 20th century, have their roots in housing discrimination and the racial segregation of cities. Zoning regulations today still do what racially restrictive real estate covenants did yesterday: prevent neighborhoods from being diverse and equitable. This is done by raising the barriers to entry, using exclusionary zoning and creating segregation, without actually ever mentioning race. Zoning requiring single-family housing is the worse culprit and continues to stand in the way of affordable and equitable housing.

  • How are the affordable housing crisis and Missing Middle Housing connected?

    The affordable housing crisis is due to the imbalance between supply and demand, rising material costs and restrictive zoning laws and building regulations. Middle Housing delivers multiple units on the same sized lot as a single-family home, therefore allowing distribution of land costs across multiple units, making them inherently more affordable. Because the units are often smaller than conventional single-family housing, they are less expensive to build.

  • Why is this housing referred to as "Missing"?

    Because even though this housing type has historically played an instrumental role in providing housing choices and affordable options in towns and cities across the country, today we are building very few of these housing types and have built very few over the past 30 to 40 years, even in the cities that were founded on these housing types. These housing types are missing, because they’re not allowed to be built in most neighborhoods in the United States.

  • What does the "Middle" refer to?

    Middle refers to the “middle-scale” of buildings between single-family homes and large apartment or condo complexes, including duplexes, tri/quadraplexes, bungalows and cottage courts. They are "middle" because they are house scaled to fit in existing neighborhoods and exist in the middle of the spectrum between very low density housing (single family detached homes) to very high density homes (mid- and high-rise apartment buildings). Middle also refers to the affordability or attainability level that more compact residences can offer to middle-income families.

  • How do tiny houses/communities fit into this discussion?

    A key part of the Missing Middle are housing types such as tiny houses, cottages, bugalows and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Because this type housing is often smaller than conventional single-family housing, they are less expensive to build -you’re splitting the costs across the land. Creative housing options such as tiny houses and tiny house communities are needed to help meet housing needs and diversify housing options.

  • Why should I care about Missing Middle Housing?

    Missing middle housing has a range of benefits for municipalities and ultimately you. Investing in missing middle housing can help increase the housing supply, create more inclusive, affordable and equitable housing options, promote density and walkability, and create more diverse housing options. More families on less land means that costs are distributed. The affordable housing crisis isn’t ending anytime soon, Missing Middle Housing can help mitigate the housing shortage and affordability, but it has to be done thoughtfully and with great care to avoid causing displacement to already vulnerable communities and gentrification.

  • What are the barriers to Missing Middle Housing?

    The lack of zoning that enables Missing Middle, since zoning was created after most of the Missing Middle types, is a major barrier. Additional barriers are the metrics in development standards that are wrong, such as minimum lot sizes that are too large, densities that are too low and parking requirements that are too high. High on the list also is the fact that very little of the geographic area of most cities is zoned to allow anything but single-family homes, at a rate of 80 to 90 percent. There may also be community or neighborhood opposition (NIMBY) and perceived “cost inefficiencies” for building small.

  • How can we achieve Missing Middle Housing in my city/area?

    Calling for your local officials to consider eliminating or reforming your local single-family zoning policies and to address prohibitory development standard metrics is a great place to start, if that isn’t already in the works. Planning and zoning departments have to take a look at current land-use planning and consider how it can be amended to allow for a more affordable housing market. Shifting and rethinking the way they design, locate, regulate and develop housing and doing so thoughtfully and with great care to not cause additional harm to vulnerable communities and the communities who need sustainable housing solutions the most. We can help, of course.