Small Lots, Big Impact: A Call to Architects, Designers, and Developers to Transform Los Angeles Housing

Los Angeles is a city of paradoxes—sprawling single-family neighborhoods sit alongside pockets of dense urban living, and a housing crisis rages while thousands of small, underutilized lots remain overlooked. But what if these forgotten parcels could be reimagined as sites for high-quality, affordable housing?

Enter Small Lots, Big Impact, a bold new architecture competition hosted by the City of Los Angeles, LA4LA, and cityLAB-UCLA. This initiative challenges architects, designers, and real estate professionals to rethink L.A.’s housing landscape by creating innovative, livable solutions on the city’s many vacant lots.

A Competition to Reimagine L.A.’s Housing Future

Helmed by Dana Cuff, director of cityLAB and professor of architecture at UCLA, Small Lots, Big Impact is structured in two phases:

🔹 Phase One: Open to architects, designers, and students, this phase invites participants to propose new affordable homeownership models for small lots across Los Angeles. Proposals will be judged on criteria such as livability, efficiency, cross-ventilation, fire safety, access to natural light, and overall architectural form and identity.

🔹 Phase Two: A select number of small, underutilized lots in Los Angeles will be awarded to development teams through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process. Between six and twelve sites will be activated, with winning teams gaining the opportunity to turn their design concepts into reality.

The competition’s distinguished panel of jurors includes:

✔ Architect Jonathan Tate, known for his work in multifamily housing in Los Angeles

✔ Critic Christopher Hawthorne

✔ Architect Hilary Sample

✔ Los Angeles city planner Kevin Keller

✔ Planning professor Maurice Cox

✔ Phoebe Yee, Senior Vice President at Related California

Beyond the competition, this initiative is open source, encouraging architects, developers, and policymakers to share insights, lessons, and best practices—fostering a collaborative movement to reshape L.A.’s housing landscape.

The Case for “Gentle Density”

For decades, L.A.’s housing policies prioritized single-family development, leading to urban sprawl and skyrocketing home prices. However, cityLAB has been at the forefront of shifting this narrative—first through its work in legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and now with Small Lots, Big Impact.

Dana Cuff draws inspiration from pre-war housing models, where multiple compact homes were built efficiently within neighborhoods, balancing density with quality of life. The competition encourages architects to apply these principles—focusing on multi-generational living, staying power, and sustainable density rather than outdated, car-dependent suburban models.

Historically, L.A.’s urban expansion relied on small, affordable homes stretching further from the city center. However, with worsening commutes and rising costs, the need for intelligent, infill development has never been greater. Small Lots, Big Impact is an opportunity for architects and developers to rethink not only housing design but also the ownership and development culture that has shaped Los Angeles for generations.

Who Should Apply?

If you’re an architect, designer, or real estate professional interested in reshaping Los Angeles’ housing landscape, this competition is for you. The best proposals will blend architectural ingenuity with practical development models, ensuring that small-lot housing is not only beautiful but also financially viable and scalable.

Key Dates & Submission Details

📅 Phase One Submission Deadline: April 20

🏆 Winners Announced: May 12

📅 Phase Two (RFQ & Site Allocation): May – July

For more information or to submit questions, contact: smalllotsinfo@ucla.edu

This is more than a competition—it’s an opportunity to redefine what housing in Los Angeles can be. Will you be part of the movement?

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