Encouraging diverse missing-middle housing near transit

Mark Vallianatos | Madeline Brozen

This brief explores why and how jurisdictions in the Los Angeles region should zone for more diverse-types of lowrise housing, especially near transit. The paper argues that too many properties close to transit stations and stops are zoned to only allow one home, single-family-only zoning originated to exclude apartments and lower-income and non-white residents and neighborhoods with a mix of small apartments and single-unit homes used to be common, but policy changes enacted in the mid-20th century banned these diverse communities The paper also argues that removing barriers to diverse, low-rise housing could bring benefits for housing choice and affordability, equity, sustainability, and transit-ridership.

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