How Small Lots Yield Urban Density

A recent article explains how, and why, small lot subdivisions get built in Los Angeles. Also, the city has recently updated a procedural glitch to make permitting easier for small lot projects.

2 minute read

August 20, 2014, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Small Lot Townhouses

Plukhin / Shutterstock

Will Macht examines the growing practice of small lot development, by first explaining its popularity with developers: "The Great Recession halted the building boom, leaving many developers and architects averse to large-scale projects with greater financial risk and exposure to long-term construction liability. In response to these factors, as well as changing market preferences, some developers are now experimenting with small- and intermediate-scale projects to increase density in a shorter time frame and at lower risk."

Designers love the small lot typology as well: "At the same time, most architecture firms no longer design single-family houses except for very wealthy clients. Some firms are experimenting with designing single-family homes at intermediate densities that enable them to spread their fees over more projects than when they work on one-off, high-design, custom-built houses."

The article continues into great detail about a case study of small lot development in Los Angeles, and to make the case for the flexibility offered by "fee-simple" lots.

On a related note, the Los Angeles Department of City Planning announced an improvement to the permitting process for small lot projects. Here's how an emailed statement explains the update, with will take effect on September 16, 2014:

"Previously, a glitch in City regulations required developers with approved plans to either wait upwards of two years for final maps to record or file for code deviations in order to receive building permits. This inefficiency cost developers and the Planning Department valuable time and left neighborhoods with delayed projects and confusing project descriptions."

"The [approved] code amendment will immediately relieve 59 code-compliant projects of the need to file for deviations or wait lengthy periods of time before beginning construction. Simultaneously, the Department will have more time to focus on the project, rather than processing additional requests."

Wednesday, August 13, 2014 in Urban Land Magazine

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder