About this tool
This chart shows how Light Touch Density, which means replacing or adding to single-family homes with 2 to 8 units per lot or an accessory dwelling unit, could add middle-priced and lower-priced housing. It looks at whether such conversions would pay off for single-family detached properties and what the resulting homes might cost. It matters for people weighing zoning reforms that could add homes and improve affordability.
- Shows
- Estimates of where converting single-family detached lots to 2 to 8 units, or adding an accessory dwelling unit, would be financially viable, along with price information for the resulting homes. Results are summarized for places from the nation down to local areas.
- Places
- Nation, States, Counties, Cities and towns, Continuums of Care
Questions it answers
- Which reforms would add homes in my area if single-family lots could hold 2 to 8 units?
- How many single-family lots could profitably be converted to more homes under light-touch density?
- What prices might homes built through light-touch density sell for compared with local incomes?
- How do the potential gains from light-touch density differ between states, counties, and cities?
- Could adding accessory dwelling units or small multiplexes help make housing more affordable here?
Limits
- Figures are modeled estimates of whether a conversion would pay off, not counts of homes that will be built.
- Only single-family detached properties are considered.
- Local-area results in the downloadable data cover municipalities and unincorporated areas with populations over 25,000.