Why can't we build enough affordable housing? Part of the answer lies in outdated zoning codes and permitting rules that no longer serve today’s needs. But many regions are at an inflection point.: across the country, local governments are reconsidering ways to unlock housing supply and to build climate resilient and more walkable neighborhoods and business districts. 

Here are five land-use trends to watch, as local government seek new solutions to community challenges. 

Recent Trends Building Momentum

1. The pace of zoning reform is picking up

The U.S. is short 2.8 million units, according to a report from J.P. Morgan this year. One reason is that about 75% of residential land in U.S. metro areas is zoned exclusively for single-family homes. This is especially true in suburbs, where restrictive zoning has limited affordable housing options.

Breaking down zoning barriers is necessary for sustainable growth, and communities are starting to allow more housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments. State and federal grants are now supporting municipalities that streamline permitting and increase density and making more funding available for communities poised for change.

2. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are going mainstream

You might know them as in-law suites or granny flats: ADUs are self-contained secondary homes on single-family properties, and changing codes to allow more of them isn’t a niche policy experiment anymore.

California alone has permitted over 80,000 ADUs since 2016. Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, and Washington have all recently passed major laws requiring municipalities to allow ADUs by right in single-family zones. This trend matters especially for suburbs, where single-family lots often have room for additional units.

3. Climate-resilience planning is becoming non-negotiable

Extreme weather events are negatively affecting municipal budgets, infrastructure, and, in some cases, property values. Meanwhile, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce found that every dollar invested upfront in climate resilience saves about six dollars in disaster response and recovery.

So  from coastal areas to flood-prone inland regions, local governments are updating their floodplain standards and adding climate risk overlays to their zoning maps. These updates change how permitting works, what gets approved where, and how infrastructure gets planned.

4. Office conversions surge, turning vacant space into housing

Demand for traditional office space has been down since 2020, with vacancies above 19% in May 2025, according to an industry report from Commercial Edge. Developers are finding new uses for those empty buildings by converting them into apartments. The pipeline of office-to-residential conversions rose sharply between 2021 and 2025.

To support more re-development, permitting processes need to accommodate adaptive reuse and zoning codes need greater flexibility. Communities that figure this out can revitalize downtown areas while adding housing supply.

5. Municipalities are doing away with blanket parking minimums

Parking minimums require a set number of off-street parking spaces for new development, and they’re losing favor because they add to housing and other development costs. Urban planners suggest they result in dedicating more land to cars than to people.

Many municipalities built around parking mandates are finding they can create more housing and better walkability by letting developers decide how much parking they need.

Shifts Aren't Happening in Isolation

Recent trends are converging in comprehensive local planning that links zoning, permitting, and infrastructure to 21st-century realities in cities, suburbs, and towns across the U.S.

When a municipality adopts more flexible zoning, allows ADUs, mandates resilience through permitting, repurposes offices, and removes parking minimums, it creates the foundation for more housing, better value, and stronger community sustainability.

But there's more to it than just adding housing units. Communities that embrace these trends position themselves to attract state and federal funding. They reduce their long-term climate costs. They create more tax revenue per acre. They make themselves more attractive to younger residents and businesses looking for walkable, diverse neighborhoods. In short, they become more fiscally resilient and politically competitive.

What Success Looks Like

You'll know these trends are working in your community when you see specific changes:

• Housing approvals per acre increase, and you're seeing a mix of housing types in neighborhoods that were previously single-family only.
• You're processing ADU permits regularly, not as rare exceptions. Property owners understand the process and use it.
• New development avoids high-risk areas, and your disaster recovery costs start declining over time.
• Your downtown has new residents, not empty buildings. Permit applications for adaptive reuse become routine.
• Developers are building more housing on the same footprint, and you're seeing increased foot traffic in commercial areas.

The common thread to improvements lies in faster permit processing and clearer rules to better outcomes for your community's fiscal health and quality of life.

Ways to Take Action

1. Audit your zoning. Figure out what percentage of your residential land is locked into single-family-only zoning.
2. Review your permitting workflows. Modern challenges demand faster, transparent permitting systems that match these new land-use priorities.
3. Update your master plan. Add overlays for climate risk, parking reduction, adaptive reuse, and flexible housing types.
4. Monitor your metrics. Track permit turnaround times, ADU filings, parking supply reductions, office conversion applications, and resilience investments.
5. Engage the public. Help people understand the big picture: more housing and climate resilience sustain the entire community.

Looking Ahead Five Years

The communities that adapt to these trends will look different in five years. They’ll have more housing options and better disaster preparedness from resilient development, The changes are already underway, and the momentum is building.

For local government leaders, there’s opportunity to shape how these trends play out in your community, or you can watch them unfold without your input.

Want to learn more? Explore GovPilot solutions for managing local government zoning, permitting, and resilience planning, all in one place.