Transform Los Angeles into a replica of Los Angeles

Transform Los Angeles into a replica of Los Angeles

In a bid to address the housing affordability crisis and boost production, a new initiative, Small Lots, Big Impacts, has been launched in Los Angeles. This collaborative effort between UCLA's cityLAB, the Los Angeles Housing Department, and the office of Mayor Karen Bass, aims to transform vacant small lots into innovative starter homes.

The initiative commenced with a design competition that attracted over 350 submissions from architects worldwide. The winning designs focus on placing multiple housing units on a single site, often by subdividing the land and incorporating diverse housing types such as rowhouses and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).

The designs aim to produce new models for homeownership by allowing land costs to be subdivided and parcels built out with compact homes. This approach enables the creation of rental income opportunities or the sale of units as condos, helping those previously shut out of the housing market to build wealth and contribute to neighbourhood stability.

The City of Los Angeles has committed to developing demonstration projects on city-owned land based on the winning designs. This includes releasing RFQs to invite developers to bring these concepts to life on 10 city-owned parcels.

Preserving Los Angeles' unique architectural identity is a key focus of the initiative. The designs emphasize thoughtful architecture that integrates well with the existing low-rise housing stock, reflecting the city's emphasis on outdoor spaces and community living. The initiative also explores how vertical architecture, such as residential towers, can be integrated into the city's low-rise landscape when designed thoughtfully.

Currently, about one-fifth of new housing permits in California, and a whopping one-third in the city of L.A., are for ADUs. However, the initiative recognizes that a more ambitious approach is needed to address the housing affordability crisis. Many California cities have been slow in making laws truly usable, and the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative seeks to change this.

The city's Low-Rise LA design challenge, organized in 2020, was a significant step towards breaking the logjam in producing additional missing-middle housing in real volume. Many of the winning designs create flexible compounds to accommodate a range of life phases, moving away from the traditional R1 paradigm that has been criticized for limiting housing volume and having a rigid, gate-keeping logic.

With an open call for developer-architect teams to build housing on a dozen small, city-owned vacant parcels later this year, and tens of thousands of privately owned infill lots ready to follow suit, the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative is poised to make a significant impact on Los Angeles' housing landscape.

1. Editorials suggest that the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative, a collaboration between UCLA, the Los Angeles Housing Department, and Mayor Karen Bass, could potentially address California's housing affordability crisis.
2. The initiative aims to transformLos Angeles' vacant small lots into innovative starter homes by subdividing land and incorporating diverse housing types, such as rowhouses and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
3. The winning designs of the design competition, which attracted over 350 submissions from architects worldwide, focus on producing new models for homeownership, allowing for subdivision of land costs and compact home construction.
4. The City of Los Angeles has committed to developing demonstration projects on city-owned land, releasing RFQs to developers for building concepts on 10 city-owned parcels.
5. The initiative prioritizes preserving Los Angeles' unique architectural identity, emphasizing thoughtful architecture that is integrated with the existing low-rise housing stock, reflecting the city's emphasis on outdoor spaces and community living.
6. Despite the increasing number of ADU permits in California and Los Angeles, the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative argues for a more ambitious approach to address the housing affordability crisis, as many cities have been slow in making laws usable for additional missing-middle housing.
7. With plans to invite developer-architect teams to build housing on a dozen small, city-owned vacant parcels later this year, and tens of thousands of privately owned infill lots ready to follow suit, the Small Lots, Big Impacts initiative could have a significant impact on Los Angeles' housing landscape and real estate finance.

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