New York City’s low-density zoning districts underproduce housing by all available benchmarks.
In recent years, the rate at which New York City has added housing has not kept up with demand. Some areas have added far more housing than others. Planning needs to be responsive to the widely varying conditions of the citys neighborhoods, so we shouldnt expect low-density districts to grow at the same rate as high-density districts. But how slow is too slow?
We analyzed data on the existing housing stock and recent changes to it, aiming to answer the following questions:
- Where are low-density districts mapped, and what types of housing does zoning allow in them?
- How much of the citys existing housing, and its recently built housing, is located within lower-density districts? How does this compare to medium- and high-density districts?
- How does recent housing production in low-density districts compare to other parts of the city and region, and to other cities?
Keep scrolling to see highlights from our analysis, and to access the full report.
Low-density districts are mapped on 71% of the city’s residentially zoned land.
What are low-density districts?
New York City’s low-density zoning districts, which include R1 through R5 districts, vary in the building forms and sizes they permit, but typically allow buildings of two to three stories. They can be categorized by the types of housing allowed: single-family, two-family, and multifamily districts.
Two-family districts also allow single-family homes, and multifamily districts also allow single- and two-family homes. While a single-family home may be built on any existing residential lot, buildings of two or more units can be built only if they fall within limits on density and building dimensions and if they satisfy minimum lot sizes and parking requirements.
Low-density districts contain over a third of New York City's existing housing.
Where is the housing today?
Higher-density districts and districts that allow multifamily housing account for a larger share of existing housing. This in part reflects what higher-density zoning means: more housing per unit land area. But it also reflects the types of buildings allowed. Low-density multifamily districts cover roughly twice the land that single-family districts do, but contain about seven times the amount of housing.
Low-density districts have produced just 9 percent of the city’s new housing since 2010.
What's been built lately?
Data on housing construction since 2010 reveals stark differences in the rate at which housing has been added in single-family, two-family, and multifamily low-density zoning districts.
Of the nearly 40,000 units started or completed in low-density neighborhoods; roughly 24,400 (61%) are in multifamily districts, compared with 13,700 (35%) in two-family districts, and just 1,600 (5%) in single-family districts. Over the same time period, over 365,000 units were permitted or completed in mid- and high-density districts.
Single-family districts cover more residential land than Manhattan, but have added just 56 units a year since 2010.
NYC's low-density districts produce less housing per capita than Detroit or Long Island.
How does this compare with elsewhere?
Per-capita housing production is a common measure of the adequacy of housing growth. It is typically higher in young or sprawling cities and lower in already built-up areas; the same amount of new housing will yield a higher growth rate in a sparsely populated area than in an urban one. But it provides a good measure of how well an area is providing for the natural growth of its population, and how much it’s imposing on other areas the demands of population growth.
For more detailed findings, infographics, and CHPC’s methodology, read the full brief.
This policy brief is part of CHPCs One Size Housing Fits All initiative, which investigates how well the range of housing options available meet the diverse and dynamic needs of New Yorkers lives – and what we can do better to meet those needs.
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