A Case of (Decreasing) American Exceptionalism

Whittemore, Andrew H.; Curran-Groome, William

doi:10.1080/01944363.2021.1985591

Cited by 6 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The term “missing middle,” first used by architect Daniel Parolek (Opticos Designs, 2022; Webber, 2019), refers to low‐rise, typically less than five‐story, residential buildings that contain multiple units. These middle‐sized buildings are common in Europe, but in countries such as Canada, the United States, and Australia, middle‐sized housing has generally been illegal to build since the early 20th century (hence “missing”) due in part to discriminatory zoning practices designed to enforce segregation and protect suburbs from racial and economic diversity (Webber, 2019; Whittemore & Curran‐Groome, 2022). Examples of missing middle construction include multiplexes and low‐rise apartment buildings (Toronto City Planning Division, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Embodied GHG of missing middle: Residential building form and strategies for more efficient housing

Rankin,

Arceo,

Isin

et al. 2024

J of Industrial Ecology

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This research addresses two critical problems facing communities today: the growing demand for housing and the need to reduce material consumption to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Material production and use accounts for more than 25% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and must be reduced to meet the Paris Climate Agreement's 2°C target. At the same time, increasing urban populations are accelerating the demand for housing and construction materials. Strategies for supplying more materially efficient housing are urgently needed. Here, we quantify the impact of residential form on embodied emissions. Specifically, we look at the reduction potential of missing middle (low‐rise multi‐unit) housing, compare missing middle to single‐family and mid/high‐rise buildings, and identify opportunities for optimizing efficiency within forms. Forty‐two new material quantifications are calculated using an ontology based on MasterFormat and UniFormat. Minimum, maximum, and most likely GHG emissions factors are used to convert material mass to CO2eq. We observe embodied GHG of missing middle buildings varying between 5540 and 39,600 kgCO2eq/bedroom. On average, multi‐unit missing middle buildings have significantly lower embodied GHG per bedroom than single‐family and mid/high‐rise buildings, but variability within forms is greater than between forms, indicating a large potential to reduce embodied GHG through building design. Best‐in‐class design strategies include reducing substructure size and indoor parking, limiting mid/high‐rise slab thickness, and choosing low‐GHG insulation products. Building missing middle homes in the 1st quartile of embodied GHG efficiency with minimum insulation emissions factors could reduce future embodied residential emissions in Ontario, Canada by 46.7%.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%