New York City has a remarkably diverse, and growing, population. Yet the diversity of its populace — in economic status, cultural background, age, family structure, and livelihood — is not matched by a similar diversity in housing options.

Over the last several years, the Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) has been researching and analyzing how and where New York City’s residents live, and what housing is available to them. Their findings have revealed the many ways in which current housing regulations and standards constrain the range of choices the market can offer, particularly for single-person households, shared dwellings, and multi-generational households, through restrictions on unit size, subdivisions of existing units, and definitions of who may jointly occupy units. For example, regulations have tilted what the housing market produces towards larger units, for households assumed to be “families,” even though only 17% of New York’s dwelling units are occupied by traditional nuclear families. As a result, many households improvise their living arrangements in ways that can be illegal or unsafe. Simply put, New York City is not producing enough of the kind of housing stock its residents want and need.

To help address this critical problem, the League partnered with CHPC to carry out a design study to propose new types of housing that might better match the contemporary demographic make-up of New York and how New Yorkers choose to live now.