Reclaiming Space: Designing Equitable Housing Through Civic Collaboration

Affordable housing and homelessness

San Fernando Valley

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

The San Fernando Valley faces a serious housing affordability crisis rooted in a lack of supply, rising construction costs, and competing design expectations from residents and municipalities. Nearly half of LA’s land is zoned for single-family homes—with about 42% in the Valley—constraining options for diverse housing types. Meanwhile, over half of LA County households are rent burdened, with the majority spending over 50% of income on housing. Despite this, most new multifamily housing is targeted toward high-income renters. With city financing for affordable housing expected to drop due to reduced funding at the federal level, there is an urgent need to innovate. This initiative seeks to leverage design excellence to create cost-efficient, resilient, and community-responsive housing that aligns with the Valley’s character while meeting real needs.

This grant will support the launch of a regionally coordinated design and housing initiative aimed at increasing the supply of affordable, resilient housing in the San Fernando Valley. This initiative brings together city planning departments, economic development teams, and elected officials to identify underutilized commercial properties and reimagine them as vibrant, community-serving housing developments.
In light of the Valley’s rising vulnerability to wildfires, flooding, and other climate-related events, the initiative will emphasize building beyond code to safeguard those most impacted—particularly rent-burdened and historically under-resourced residents. In addition to a library of pre-approved, high-quality housing prototypes, the program will establish a regional think tank focused on resilient design strategies, materials, and implementation models.
By working city by city, this initiative takes a customized approach that meets each jurisdiction’s unique needs while building a shared library of designs that reduce permitting delays and remove financial and logistical barriers to affordable housing. These ready-to-use, adaptable plans—developed through a community-centered process—will align with local zoning and emphasize durability, sustainability, and design excellence. This will significantly reduce predevelopment costs and shorten project timelines for cities and developers, allowing more affordable units to be built faster and with greater climate resilience.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will be home to more resilient, community-driven affordable housing developments that reflect the diverse needs of its residents. Our initiative will not only identify underutilized land for redevelopment, but also provide vetted, high-quality, resilient design options—streamlining the process for cities and increasing the pipeline of public housing. In response to the Valley’s rising risk of wildfires and flooding, we will work with cities to prioritize building beyond code and create a shared library of resilient materials and design strategies. A regional think tank will help guide this work, ensuring that those most burdened by housing insecurity are better protected from climate-related disasters. Community education will also be central—helping residents understand how thoughtful design can drive long-term resiliency.