AERO COLLECTIVE Featured in the L.A. Times: Pioneering the "Missing Middle" Housing Revolution
We are thrilled to announce that our work on the "Small Lots, Big Impacts" initiative has been highlighted in a recent Los Angeles Times piece. The article dives into one of our city's biggest contradictions: while affordable homes are in desperately short supply, L.A. holds more than 20,000 vacant lots that are already zoned for housing.
Researchers highlighted small, vacant lots across Los Angeles where they envision the construction of mid-density housing that they hope can create a new pathway to first-time homeownership. (Small Lots, Big Impacts project)
At Aero Collective, we believe in the power of "gentle density" to reshape our neighborhoods. Spearheaded by UCLA’s cityLAB, this novel pilot program aims to transform these small, empty parcels into thoughtfully designed, multiunit complexes like duplexes and townhomes. The mission is clear: to bring back the reasonably priced starter home, a housing model that has been largely missing since the post-WWII era.
The article highlights the three designer-developer teams selected to lead this missing middle revolution, and we are incredibly proud to be part of the effort bringing these pilot projects to life. Here is a look at the parameters of the initiative we are helping to pioneer:
The focus is on privately owned, vacant residential lots that are a quarter-acre or smaller.
Each project will feature at least five separate units built on a single empty lot.
The homes will be listed for sale, with a percentage reserved below market rate for low- or middle-income buyers.
The initiative embraces diverse architectural and structural visions to model flexibility, ranging from shared cooperative structures to prefabricated construction.
A rendering shows one of the winning teams’ designs for middle-density residences, which they plan to build on one of the thousands of vacant lots in L.A. (West of West)
With critical financial and regulatory backing from groups like Genesis L.A., LA4LA, BMO bank, and the city of L.A., the pilot teams are expected to break ground before next summer. We are excited to help model a sustainable, attainable future for homeownership in Los Angeles.
Stay tuned as we share more updates on our design process and progress!