The Dallas City Council voted to change the city’s building code to allow up to eight residential units in three-story buildings.
In late April, the Dallas City Council approved a change to the city’s building code that allows up to eight residential units in three-story buildings, a quiet but significant shift that could make a major dent in the city’s need for new housing.
A post in Strong Towns explains the potential of the new law, which will allow developers to build denser, more affordable ‘missing middle’ housing. “This change in Dallas won’t solve the housing crisis. But it removes a key obstacle. It creates the conditions where small-scale, bottom-up development can actually happen.”
Dallas could serve as a model for other cities. Rather than waiting for a silver bullet, cities should look to “small, sensible changes” like Dallas’s building code change that can incrementally build more affordable, walkable, and sustainable neighborhoods. “Because a strong town isn’t built overnight. It’s built by shifting the systems that are holding it back.”
FULL STORY: Small Changes With Big Impacts in Dallas
Texas Law Could Limit Local Control Over Zoning
If upheld, a Texas law would likely prevent cities from enacting zoning reform that would increase density or eliminate single-family-only zoning.
Court Blocks Arlington County Zoning Reform
The county’s zoning reform plan would have promoted ‘missing middle housing’ types of up to six units on lots previously zoned for single-family housing.
Arizona Legalizes ADUs and Higher Downtown Density Statewide
Two new laws require cities to permit ‘missing middle housing’ near city centers and ADUs on all single-family lots.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods
A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.
Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan
A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.
More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown
Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.
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.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions