Single-Family Zoning
![Roanoke, Virginia](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1412650550.jpg.webp?itok=owevcIDf)
Statewide Density Increases Proposed in Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia will consider a bill that would legalize duplexes in single-family zones throughout the state.
![Maryland Suburbs](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_737078083.jpg.webp?itok=k907dm1_)
Missing Middle Housing Studied in Suburban Virginia
Almost 90% of Arlington County land zones for residential use is reserved for single-family homes. Would adding missing middle housing in the form of duplexes and triplexes keep the price of housing in a more manageable range?
![Suburban Home](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1303471999.jpg.webp?itok=cM_tB9p1)
Updated: Journal Article Calls for the End of Single-Family Zoning
An article published by the Journal of the American Planning Association argues that single-family zoning "exacerbates inequality and undermines efficiency," and should be eliminated entirely.
![Minneapolis, Minnesota](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_658588405.jpg.webp?itok=TWIGbD2N)
Minneapolis Officially Ends Single-Family Zoning; Change to Take Effect January 1
The end of single-family zoning, a key component of a comprehensive plan adopted last year in Minneapolis, has now been set in code.
![Indiana University Bloomington](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1090681967.jpg.webp?itok=0gqYioks)
Single-Family Zoning on the Cutting Block in Bloomington, Indiana
Move over Minneapolis. An Indiana college town joins the avant-garde of planning innovation by nearing the finish line with a new Unified Development Ordinance that would allow duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes in single-family neighborhoods.
![Granny Flat](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/47094325894_f84a26e81e_c.jpg.webp?itok=FRyrLHb3)
New Laws Amount to Single-Family Zoning Ban in California
For years, the California legislators have been passing bills to allow accessory dwelling units on single-family residential lots. These laws haven't attracted the same attention as other failed laws, but their effect is significant.
![Twin Cities](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_741890836.jpg.webp?itok=l8MIKkBE)
Opinion: End of Single-Family Zoning Won’t Solve Minneapolis' Housing Problems
Even as density increases in Minneapolis, affordable housing is not going to be accessible to the people who need it, according to an article by James S. Russell.
![Mount Hood](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_1183763131.jpg.webp?itok=Yk9Ah9rG)
Portland Adjusts Residential Infill Plan to Minimize Displacement
Portland wants to add density but doesn't want to displace current residents of low- and middle-income neighborhoods.
![Single-Family Neighborhood](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_372210526.jpg.webp?itok=9eOkg-Bc)
Debating the End of Single-Family Zoning in Toronto
A retired city planner takes a position against "lot splitting," or allowing more than one unit on properties zones for single-family residential as it's known in Toronto.
![Orenco Station](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/414192002_10eee9bb0e_z.jpg.webp?itok=oDjuN0Sc)
What Made It Possible for Oregon to End Single-Family Zoning?
Factors beyond political chance played into Oregon's recent decision to legalize missing middle housing. One key point: the state was already halfway there.
![Venice Canals](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/venice%20canals.jpg.webp?itok=7jxtiJCK)
Report: Lack of Apartments Contributes to the Housing Affordability Crisis
It's going to take "radical policies" and "political courage" to overcome the housing shortage in California, according to a recent working paper, but they will be necessary to overcome the negative consequences of the planning and zoning status quo.
![Victorian Architecture](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_240438190.jpg.webp?itok=6AUQhp-5)
Seattle Sets a New Standard for Residential Zoning
Seattle is the latest in a series of cities, states, and counties to alter the landscape of land use regulation by approving what the Sightline Institute describes as the "most progressive" ADU policy in the United States.
![State capital building](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_187834229.jpg.webp?itok=fQK4aYVB)
History Made: Oregon Legislature Ends Single-Family Zoning
A bill that seemed like it could be a casualty of a bitter partisan feud managed to squeak under the wire. With Governor Kate Brown's signature, single-family zoning will be prohibited throughout the state of Oregon.
![U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_622777136.jpg.webp?itok=_aLA0Rmd)
HUD Secretary Carson Supports Minneapolis-Style Upzoning
U.S. Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, in Minneapolis last week, expressed support for the planning reforms included in the Minneapolis 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
![Sprawl](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_472344748.jpg.webp?itok=tb6h3H34)
Single-Family Zoning Versus the City, Mapped
There isn't much city in most U.S. cities.
![McMAnsion](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_336438848.jpg.webp?itok=vQWIRzcZ)
Zoning Changes Would Mean More Granny Flats and Fewer McMansions in Seattle
Is this a two-birds-with-one-stone situation?
![Stanford](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_628906109.jpg.webp?itok=QitAvN03)
California's Upzoning Bill, SB 50, Would Allow Apartment Construction in Wealthy Communities
The proposed legislation would open up cities like Palo Alto to higher-density housing.
![Twin Cities](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_741890836.jpg.webp?itok=l8MIKkBE)
Mapping the Wealth Accumulation of Homeowners
Exclusionary zoning really pays off for people that already had enough money to buy a home. A new mapping project shows exactly where that's true int he area around Minneapolis.
![Philadelphia Rowhouses](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/19776470182_0307a8dd2c_k.jpg.webp?itok=NHtHjp9z)
Philadelphia Unlikely to Follow Minneapolis' Lead in Zoning Reform
Minneapolis is setting a bold example by ending single-family zoning, but chances are a similar change won’t be coming to Philadelphia.
![Michigan](/files/styles/small_400/public/images/shutterstock_161677625.jpg.webp?itok=Wa8KQqKW)
Form-Based Code Ended Single-Family Zoning a Decade Ago in Grand Rapids
The story of the Grand Rapids zoning code update of a decade ago offers perspective on the possibilities of code reform.
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
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