The city hopes the templates, along with other incentive programs, will spur more housing construction on its vacant lots while maintaining neighborhood character and streamlining the development process.
A program that offers pre-approved development templates to South Bend developers provides a positive model for how cities can streamline the development process and encourage small developers to build more housing, writes Daniel Herriges in Strong Towns.
The plans, developed with the help of incremental developers and design experts, are specifically crafted for South Bend’s existing neighborhoods, where they fit the current zoning rules, lot sizes and shapes, and market conditions, and nod to the city’s historic architectural vernacular.
City officials hope this will help fill the hundreds of vacant lots languishing in the city and lower construction and permitting costs for builders. “The city, in return, gets a predictable form of development that is aesthetically compatible and can be replicated at scale.”
By updating and simplifying its zoning code, providing Sears catalog-style templates for construction, and investing in programs like a $20,000 sewer hookup rebate that ease the cost burden of building new homes, the city of just over 100,000 offers a model for streamlining development and encouraging affordable, site-appropriate, housing construction in its neighborhoods.
While some critics may deride such “cookie-cutter” development, Herriges points out that the South Bend model shows that templates don’t have to be bland, universalized, or lacking in context. And, Herriges points out, “if you want to produce a lot of really attractive cookies in a short amount of time, a cookie cutter is a fantastic tool for the job.”
FULL STORY: Pre-Approved House Designs Jump-Start Infill Development in South Bend
The Vanishing American ‘Starter Home’
Rising land costs, expensive materials, and onerous building and lot size requirements are making it harder to build small, affordable ‘starter homes’ in the United States.
South Bend’s Infill Plans Include Pre-Approved Multi-Family Designs
South Bend commits to infill development by pre-approving a suite of residential development options.
Seattle Works To Revise Comprehensive Plan
The city has developed five concepts for updating its comprehensive plan to increase density and reverse the legacy of exclusionary zoning.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
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 Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research