ADUs
Richmond Poised to Make ADUs By-Right
A new ordinance would reduce costs and delays for building or converting accessory dwelling units in single-family neighborhoods.
ADU Demand Grows Across the West Coast
In communities from California to Washington, permit applications for accessory dwelling units outpace the ability of permitting and construction to keep pace.
Saratoga Springs Revises Internal ADU Rules
The city is aligning its policies with New York state regulations but is keeping parking requirements in place.
Are Americans YIMBYs or NIMBYs? Some of Each.
A recent Zillow survey eviscerates a few myths about public opinion on housing issues, but also shows that public opinion is divided.
Denver Makes ADU Rules More Flexible
The city hopes adjusting its regulations for accessory dwelling units will make the process more affordable for residents and help ease the city’s housing crunch.
California Sees Spike in ADU Permits
Homeowners in the state are eagerly taking advantage of new laws allowing them to build additional housing units, making a small but significant impact on the housing supply.
Op-Ed: How ADUs Can Ease the Housing Crunch
With the right policies in place, basement apartments, converted garages, and backyard cottages can create a significant number of affordable housing units.
More ADUs Than Single Homes Being Built in Seattle
Permits for accessory dwelling units jumped by 250 percent between 2019 and 2022.
Santa Barbara Expands ADU Program to Boost Housing
The city hopes that permitting larger ADUs and making adaptive reuse easier will help it meet its state-mandated goal of building over 8,000 new housing units by 2031.
Taking the ADU Model to the Next Level
How can we get more accessory dwelling units built, keep them affordable, and make them a force for increasing racial equity?
Pre-Approved ADUs Now Available in Sacramento
The city of Sacramento is making it easier to develop accessory dwelling units.
Op-Ed: Seattle’s ADU Rules Leave Long-Term Renters Out in the Cold
One resident argues that adding a unit for long-term rental is too expensive and difficult, especially when compared to the city’s ‘super easy’ process for permitting a short-term or vacation rental.
Proposed San Diego Code Update Seeks to Increase Density Near Transit
A set of proposed updates to the city’s development code would expand TOD zones and encourage more backyard dwellings.
Raleigh Launches Pre-Approved ‘ADU Gallery’
The city wants to streamline the process and lower construction costs for accessory dwelling units in order to boost the city’s housing supply without dramatically altering neighborhoods.
Napa County Announces Forgivable Loans for Affordable ADU Rentals
Homeowners in the county will be eligible for the loans if they comply with affordability requirements for five years.
That ADU Would Make a Nice Airbnb
An Airbnb co-founder is jumping in the pre-fab backyard cottage game—but will too many ADUs become short-term rentals to make a difference for housing costs?
Jacksonville Legalizes Accessory Dwelling Units
The city expanded the areas where homeowners can build ADUs in an effort to boost housing supply and affordable rental units.
San Antonio Debates ‘Casita’ Regulations
The city wants to incentivize the construction of backyard dwelling units, but some councilmembers want to proceed cautiously to ensure the policy benefits local homeowners.
Do Owner Occupancy Requirements Constrain Housing Supply?
Born out of a fear of absentee owners and rapacious investors, owner-occupancy requirements can have the contradictory effects of excluding renters from neighborhoods and limiting the number of rental units available.
Berkeley ADU Rules Found in Violation of State Law
A regulation limiting the number and size of ADUs in the Berkeley Hills runs afoul of state law, but supporters say it protects the safety of residents in fire-prone areas.
Pagination
Placer County
City of Morganton
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Dongguan Binhaiwan Bay Area Management Committee
City of Waukesha, WI
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Indiana Borough
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.