The Architect's Lot: Backyard Homes Policy and Design

Abstract

A new California law is bringing about a sea change in how the state's neighbourhoods are evolving. Dana Cuff, architectural professor and director of the cityLAB think tank at the University of California, Los Angeles, outlines how cityLAB's in‐depth research, their development of a ‘backyard home’ prototype and their policy‐writing have contributed to the establishment of the bill that enables the legal addition of a rental unit to all single‐family homes. Its impact has been immediate, increasing affordable housing options in existing neighbourhoods.