Duration:

1 hour 30 minutes

Description

Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, Utile and Boston Indicators have in different ways spent years researching how zoning regulations contribute to Greater Boston’s housing shortage. But zoning reform alone isn’t enough. To truly address our housing challenges, we must also confront barriers embedded in other regulations. Looming large among them is the building code, a mix of regulations that should evolve with time. Yet, outdated provisions sometimes live on, well after technological advances have overridden their safety value. For example, engineered wood is still restricted in taller buildings despite advances making it stronger and safer than steel. And costly, oversized elevator requirements may also no longer be necessary. 

That's why Boston Indicators contracted with JCHS and Utile to produce this new report, Legalizing Mid-Rise Single-Stair Housing in Massachusetts, which we are excited to discuss at this upcoming report release event. 

The report takes a close look at the building code requirement that residential buildings between three and six stories must include two staircases. Advances in materials, smoke detection, and sprinkler systems mean this requirement may no longer be necessary, but it still drives up costs and limits design flexibility. 

By exploring the potential for allowing single- staircase designs, particularly in smaller, urban parcels, this report examines how we could unlock new possibilities for more affordable, space-efficient housing. This is especially relevant in Greater Boston, where small, dense parcels near transit could accommodate more housing with such a change.