As I mentioned in my previous post, there are many complaints about micro-housing but they share a common theme. Opponents believe micro-housing will drastically change the character of neighborhoods due to density and design.
Since it is a goal of the city to maintain neighborhood character, this could be a legitimate concern. But when we look at where micro-housing is being built in practice, this concern seems less legitimate. First, micro-housing is largely being built in areas designated as ‘urban villages.’ These areas have higher density, easier access to transit and are walkable. You can see from the map below that the locations of micro-housing development are almost entirely within the shaded areas, the location of ‘urban villages.’
Almost all of the developments are in areas where such developments would not disrupt the character of the neighborhood.
There are legitimate reasons to regulate these developments. Unfortunately, there are a lot of specious complaints as well.
Owen Pickford
Owen is a solutions engineer for a software company. He has an amateur interest in urban policy, focusing on housing. His primary mode is a bicycle but isn't ashamed of riding down the hill and taking the bus back up. Feel free to tweet at him: @pickovven.