Are We Doing This Right? – Tiny Homes Edition
Listen to this episode in Apple Podcasts.
Tiny homes have been growing in popularity over the past decade. To some, they’re an opportunity to shed unnecessary “stuff” and fully embrace a minimalist lifestyle. To others, they’re a critical part of addressing the homelessness crisis in this country. But in most cities in the U.S., it’s not exactly clear where they fit in with housing regulations.
In this installment of our “Are We Doing This Right?” series, we take a look at some of the common assumptions about tiny homes, how people are using them, what laws are applicable to them (and what’s often left unclear), which cities have embraced them, and whether other cities should follow their lead.
As always, we pull from our experience working within cities (AJ’s, anyway) and a wide body of literature on the subject to build an informed understanding of the role tiny homes can play in our communities. We look at each topic through the lens of the social and environmental impact it can have, as well as how it relates to your city’s financial and economic health.
Your hosts for this episode: Jordan Clark & AJ Fawver.
Still have questions after you listen? Join us over on the Community Cultivators Network.
Want to read more about tiny homes? Here’s a good start:
International Code Council (ICC) section on tiny houses—if you really want a good time!
When People Move Into Tiny Homes, They Adopt Greener Lifestyles (CityLab)
Tiny home communities: housing solution or gentrified trailer parks? (The Guardian)
Do tiny houses fit into your community?
New Tiny House Community Shows Shifting City Attitudes To Living Small
Urban Planning, Tiny Homes, Sustainability, and More
A study on the usefulness of tiny homes in addressing homelessness
Tiny houses: Big future, or big hype? (Curbed)
The case against tiny houses (Vox)
The Tiny House Fantasy (Jacobin)
The Trials of Tiny Homebuilding (Strong Towns)
Tiny house zoning regulations: What you need to know (Curbed)
In Detroit, Tiny Homes Are More Than a Lifestyle Trend (Politico)
Big problem with tiny houses for homeless: No place to put them (Des Moines Register)
Tiny houses have a dark secret (Fast Company)
Tiny houses seen as big answer to blight, affordable housing (Press of Atlantic City)
Closure of Tiny House Village in Seattle Prompts Concern (KUOW)
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