Are We Doing This Right? – Granny Flats Edition
Listen to this episode in Apple Podcasts.
Cities across the country face a shortage of affordable housing, despite a nationwide glut of single-family homes. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—often referred to as granny flats or other quaint-sounding names—have emerged as one way to quickly add affordable units to single-family neighborhoods, without tearing down existing homes.
Yet, in most cities, they remain illegal to build. And while some cities have re-legalized them, they often put in place so much red tape that few units end up actually getting built.
In this episode, we cover:
the myriad arguments in favor of building more ADUs
some common pushback and reasons why ADU allowances aren’t more common
the types of people who would benefit from and/or occupy ADUs
how some cities are discouraging the construction of ADUs even when they technically allow them
suggestions for what your city can do to enable and encourage residents to build ADUs
Want to research this further? Here are some of the resources we found helpful:
All About Accessory Dwelling Units
Santa Cruz Implements “Granny Flat” Program
Why tiny ADUs may be a big answer to the urban housing crisis
American Planning Association KnowledgeBase: Accessory Dwelling Units
"Are We Doing This Right?" is a new series where we dig deeper into an issue that affects cities across North America, bust (or uphold) a few myths, set some context, and give our frank opinions about whether or not we could be doing things better. Check out the other episodes with "Are We Doing This Right?" in this podcast feed if you dig this one. And we're always taking submissions: podcast@verdunity.com.
Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver.
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