Curbed Report: To become affordable, LA needs to build duplexes—not just tall towers

Los Angeles’s affordable housing future won’t be found in a skyline crowded with tall towers, but in duplexes, bungalow courts, and accessory dwelling units, according to a new report.

“There is space available inside Los Angeles to add 1 million units within the next decade—without having to turn every corner into a high-rise,” says Steven Kling, who co-led a new report from economic researchers at the McKinsey Global Institute on affordable housing in LA.

The report describes a “path forward” to a more affordable Los Angeles that includes adding more apartment complexes near transit stops, building more micro units and bungalow courts, adding more ADUs to single-family homes, and converting single-family homes on multifamily-zoned parcels to duplexes and triplexes.

These types of units cost significantly less to build so owners wouldn’t have to charge as much to rent them out. But to truly make them a viable option, the city would need to approve plans quicker and relax open space and parking requirements.