MEDIUM DENSITY INFILL HOUSING TYPES — BRIEF COMMENTARY AND A FEW EXAMPLES

Educational and planning tools can help cities thoughtfully facilitate increased urban density and pedestrian/transit friendly neighborhoods, while achieving greater access to housing variety and affordability. This may include inserting denser housing within or at the edges of residential districts, along urban corridors, or within commercial areas, but does not necessarily limit options to large apartment buildings.  

The recent trend has been to split the housing market into a. single family low-density housing that is out of the reach of most urban and suburban dwellers, including young families, and b. high density apartment blocks. Blocky mid-rise wood frame buildings are becoming the norm, but they are often bland physical manifestations of maximizing the number of units that can be built on a lot within the building code designation, as well as, cheaply built additions to the urban fabric that limit most urban dwellers to 1 or 2 bedroom flats. These dwellings lack not just the space but also the amenities and character many dwellers seek. They frequently do little to increase the pedestrian quality of their immediate environment creating density without urbanity. This trend is quite limiting to the variety of housing and may forecast a further splitting of housing based on class as well as neighborhoods lacking in cohesive fabric.

While if carefully designed large, high-density projects can offer positive benefits, another option is to insert more medium density projects using cost-effective low rise construction that can be readily built (with proper zoning in place) and fit well into existing neighborhoods. Variations on townhouse and courtyard housing as well as smaller mixed use and loft/reuse structures show promise on infill sites. By studying the design and form housing types related to neighborhood lot sizes and patterns, cities can understand how to create better land use and zoning regulations that accommodate a broader range of residents, while creating a more dynamic and humane urban environment.

Medium density housing types that can fit well in single family and commercial neighborhoods while offering net densities of 18 to 30 dwelling units per acre. include courtyard, row house, and cluster (row-court/mini-lot, bungalow court, etc.) These types can 3 to 5 times the density of most single family zones and adapt to a variety of conditions suitable for urban, small town, and suburban settings. The quality of the housing stock would be significantly enhanced with increased housing variety provided if there was more attention to these “missing middle” densities.