Big Growth, Small Solutions: Changing Zoning for Tiny Houses in Urban Infill Development

With the recent recession, rising energy prices, high mortgages and increasing awareness of climate change and personal carbon footprints, the tiny house movement has emerged to combat the sprawling trend of increasing housing size. Tiny houses can be built anywhere from 100 to 1,000 square feet. They require less building materials and are more energy efficient than the average American home. Those who partake in the tiny house movement are committing to a specific way of life, one that involves consuming less and focusing on the quality and not the quantity of possessions and materials. Tiny houses are more affordable than the typical single-family home. They could add a valuable housing option for cities through infill development. However, most cities have minimum size standards and building codes that make tiny houses illegal. What is the Tiny House Movement? Since World War II, Americans have been moving away from urban centers and creating automobile dependent, low density neighborhoods in a phenomenon known as urban sprawl. However, for the first time in almost a century, new census data shows that Americans are making the move back to cities. Accommodating high density populations through growth management techniques, such as urban infill, decreases consumption of land resources and commuting distances which reduces car emissions. Urban infill increases density by developing on underused land and buildings to add density within an existing urban area. Compared to single family homes and conventional large-scale infill, tiny houses can provide a sustainable, affordable housing option that increases density with the least amount of disruption to the existing neighborhood. Unfortunately, current zoning laws in most cities across the US have “minimum size standards,” making typical 400-1,000 square foot tiny houses illegal. In order to utilize tiny houses in small-scale infill development, these zoning barriers must be addressed. This project first identifies the niche for tiny houses in infill development by comparing conventional infill, such as apartments, and small-scale infill. This project then assesses the potential of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), pocket neighborhoods, and existing zoning for trailer parks to address zoning barriers for tiny houses.