https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-municipality-european-elevators-1.7561726 “In [these] low- and mid-rise buildings, it isn't a choice between oversized, overbuilt American elevators versus smaller, cost-effective ones," Phelps Bondaroff said. "It's a choice between European elevators or no elevator at all." #accessibility #housing #MissingMiddle #BuildingCode #elevator

https://web.archive.org/web/20250604014819/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-national-strategy-to-fight-wildfires-needed-fire-chiefs-say/ “As cities grappling with housing shortages mull building code changes to allow for single-stairwell apartments, for example, the office could provide a high-level subject matter expert on fire safety issues.” #housing #BuildingCode #MissingMiddle #FireSafety #WildFire

Some exciting progress happening in sunny #Baltimore on #SingleStair #MissingMiddle design and building code reform https://www.cnudc.org/single-stair-competition #BuildingCode #housing https://www.cnudc.org/single-stair-competition #design

Working on a building code proposal change to permit more affordable elevators in Virginia for #MissingMiddle residential up to six stories tall. Any recent examples of smaller apartment buildings in the state that went without an elevator or failed to pencil due to elevator costs? I have examples from elsewhere but local examples are more interesting. #design #BuildingCode #housing #accessibility

@urbanistorg “The commission also endorsed allowing the full slate of modest development types — cottage housing, courtyard apartments, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, and stacked flats — citywide, rather than just six of those as required by state law.” #MissingMiddle #zoning #housing #Washington

https://bsky.app/profile/ncoxbarrett.bsky.social/post/3lnlb752r2s23 #Dallas is permitting some #MissingMiddle homes to trade costly but important sprinklers for other less expensive fire safety tools. Difficult area for regulatory reform given rising #housing costs and #wildfire risk. #BuildingCode #FireSafety

Montana’s legislature has just approved safer and more affordable #MissingMiddle #housing https://bsky.app/profile/seanjurs.bsky.social/post/3lmzycke6pk2h #SingleStair #BuildingCode #design #Montana

I believe #Austin is discussing whether or not to permit safer and more affordable #SingleStair #MissingMiddle #housing today https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/whispers/council-appears-to-support-single-stair-development/ #BuildingCodeReform

The high cost of sprinklers came up again tonight, as it often does. Reportedly a small bed and breakfast did not want to expand despite high demand because the high cost of sprinklers would make it uneconomical, at least for the near future. I asked staff to look at whether a cost share program would make sense, where the City would pay for half of new sprinkler installs. #FireSafety #MissingMiddle

Good news in sunny #LosAngeles for safer and more affordable #MissingMiddle #housing https://bsky.app/profile/awalkerinla.bsky.social/post/3llu43hofcs2d #BuildingCode #SingleStair

https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2025/04/a-once-banned-type-of-building-is-back-in-favor-and-the-planning-commission-approves/ “an important step in providing Austin with the type of housing that will facilitate safe, family oriented, walkable neighborhoods.” #Austin #housing #BuildingCode #SingleStair #MissingMiddle #design

It is very early days, but I have written two draft submissions to allow safer and more affordable #MissingMiddle homes in #Virginia which I intend to submit for public consideration next month as soon as that becomes possible. Thanks to https://bsky.app/profile/stephenjacobsmith.com for doing the work at the national level to make this much more possible here. #BuildingCodeReform

Looking for some inspo on a soon-to-be starting new townhouse project. Love how the open stair organizes each floor and pulls you up through the floor plates. Tight spaces, but lovely, robust and comfortable finishes throughout. #townhouse #architecture #impei #infilldevelopment #missingmiddle

Shiftspace brings IM Pei rowho...

This has big Onion energy.

(1) https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/two-years-after-allowing-four-unit-multiplexes-in-residential-neighbourhoods-a-new-toronto-area-pilot/article_5e222914-d4ef-11ef-ae9f-3743ac761081.html?source=newsletter&utm_email=1B3C39ACA2AAAC6DB12B362B98CF3E1A
(2) https://theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036/

#Housing #Toronto #TOPoli #MissingMiddle #GentleDensity

Some historical precedents for ground-oriented denser housing choices (what I dubbed #GentleDensity and what @danielparolek.bsky.social called #MissingMiddle) make you melt. This is Schnoor Quarter in Bremen, Germany. Nothing stops us from building something like this today, except our rules.

Next up is designer Daniel Parolek, who created the #MissingMiddle term, talking about what works to make that happen at "house scale" https://youtu.be/wR8FZ6Ssumw

Whether we like it or not, “BRANDING” our good city-building ideas WORKS for spreading & strengthening those ideas. A good example is #MissingMiddle Housing via @opticosdesign.bsky.social, which has been even more effective than my #GentleDensity. What are YOUR FAV better city-building idea brands?

Dropped off the little one to school, dropped off the election supplies, checked in with sad co-workers, friends and family, then drove to #rva to keep working towards a state #buildingcode that allows safer and more affordable #missingmiddle #housing .

Sheena answers a question asked by an audience member at the housing debate: "Are there specific sites in Don Valley West that you think would be appropriate for the kinds of projects that you talked about in terms of supportive housing?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmZUvWNs7KU

#Toronto #DonValleyWest #Housing #HousingCrisis #HousingIsAHumanRight #Urbanism #MissingMiddle #Homelessness

It is helpful to read the details on what happened in #arlingtonva. I expected them to get dinged on #tree law, but the rest is a surprise to me. #housing #missingmiddle #shortage #virginia #zoning #landuse https://open.substack.com/pub/communityengagement/p/october-29-2024-another-12-unit-development