The Kelsey Inclusive Design Standards define a set of multifamily housing design and operations strategies. The document contains over 300 elements, which support cross-disability accessibility and link disability-forward design choices to intersectional benefits around affordability, sustainability, racial equity, and safety.

This handout can be used for rehabilitation and renovation projects that would like to include elements of universal and inclusive design, even if there is no plan to change the layout of the residential structure.

This Guidebook provides general legal guidance to housing professionals on reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications for residents with disabilities and their family members.

This document provides Part Two of the Fair Housing Act Design Manual, which details the Design Requirements of the Guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, last updated in 1998.

The Accessible Community Task Force (ACTF) of Naperville has led efforts to write visitibility standards into the municipal code for residential structures in Naperville.

This booklet illustrates design principles, best management practices, and site design strategies for conservation development. Conservation development is a design strategy to protect and preserve onsite and offsite natural resources from development impacts. Conservation development site plans are prepared with consideration of existing site topography, soils, vegetation, natural drainage patterns, and other sensitive or unique landscape features.

The production of this document was sponsored by Chicago Wilderness, intended to promote development that protects and enhances nature. This guide may provide guidance to local governments and developers that seek to engage in environmentally sustainable housing development.

This brochure is a guide to the characteristics and benefits of selected Illinois plants to help home gardeners choose native plants appropriate for site-specific conditions. By using native plants in your landscape, you help support healthy ecosystems on land and water. Many are food sources for pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Native plants promote clean water and conservation by reducing the need for garden inputs.

This guide for growing a butterfly garden at home provides a list of native plants suitable for a variety of butterfly species. Butterfly gardens are a valuable asset to home landscaping that can help promote environmentally sustainable development.

This guide is a resource to help contractors renovate historic houses, while addressing issues such as building durability, indoor air quality, and occupant health, safety, and comfort. The best practices described in this document are based on the results of research and demonstration projects conducted by Building America’s research teams. Building America brings together the nation’s leading building scientists with over 300 production builders to develop, test, and apply innovative, energy-efficient construction practices.

This tip sheet provides a comparison of the Illinois Base Energy Code and the Illinois Stretch Energy Code for both commercial and residential buildings.

The Local Government Climate and Energy Strategy Series provides a comprehensive, straightforward overview of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction strategies that local governments can employ. Topics include energy efficiency, transportation, community planning and design, solid waste and materials management, and renewable energy. City, county, territorial, tribal, and regional government staff and elected officials can use these guides to plan, implement, and evaluate GHG reduction and energy projects.

Energy efficiency programs offer an effective way to reduce energy consumption and address energy burden. These programs are particularly beneficial to low-income households, which spend a higher percentage of their income on energy bills. There are many energy efficiency programs offered by states, cities, and utility companies, but often only a subset of these programs is specifically designed for and directly benefits low-income communities. This fact sheet provides an overview of how energy efficiency programs could benefit low-income communities, and how to design efficiency programs to better serve low-income communities.

This issue of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, published by the Office of Policy Development and Research, discusses research and case studies on zoning reform and the regulatory barriers to new housing development.

This report provides an introduction to the community land trust model by shedding light on their operation and the benefits they can bring to both residents and cities. It goes on to highlight key ways that municipal governments and local leaders can initiate or support CLTs in their communities, and offers practical examples of community land trusts in action.

The Governor’s Office convened an Ad-Hoc Missing Middle Housing Solutions Advisory Committee, bringing together 19 executives from a cross-section of industries. Its purpose was to develop a series of potential interventions the State could pursue to accelerate the production or preservation of housing for middle- or moderate-income households (80-140% AMI), particularly in areas targeted for or experiencing significant business growth and expansion, such as Bloomington-Normal, Decatur, and Rockford.

This document describes the relationship between costs and rents and illustrates how state and local policies impact affordability.

Maximum Parking Ratios guideline is part of a comprehensive update to the transportation development review process by the Boston Transportation Department for new large projects.

This article explores the barriers beyond zoning that can hold back development of middle-scale housing. This article is intended for planners with a limited background in building codes who are looking for a practical, policy-oriented overview of how building codes and other regulations beyond zoning affect housing supply and affordability.

This chart outlines the major differences between the 2022 editions of NFPA 13R, NFPA 13D, and NFPA 13 when designing sprinkler protection for residential occupancies.