The decline of Midwestern cities from migration, suburbanization, and loss of manufacturing led Kalamazoo, Michigan, and South Bend, Indiana, to seek proactive solutions like “pre-approved” building programs. Launched in 2022 and 2024, these pre-approved building programs have accelerated high-quality affordable and market-rate infill development in both cities, offering models and designs that could apply throughout the Midwest.

These cities, recognized by the 2025 CNU Charter Awards jury, have achieved the following:

• The South Bend program comprises seven distinct plans, with three additional plans in development. The building types represented are single-family detached, stacked duplex, side-by-side duplex, cottage/cottage court, accessory dwelling unit (ADU), townhouse, and six-plex. Launched in 2022, 18 housing units have been built.
• The Kalamazoo program comprises eight distinct plans, with two additional plans in development. The building types represented are single-family detached, stacked duplex, side-by-side duplex, front-to-back duplex, cottage/cottage court, ADU, four-plex, and 12-plex. Launched in 2024, 48 housing units have been built.

“The Pre-Approved Building Plans provided by the City [of South Bend] were extremely helpful for us because they allow us to see the vision for the city,” notes Brandon Shields of Advantix Development Corporation. It provides us with the ability to enter into a true collaboration with the city to help fulfill those visions and goals.”

The program removes obstacles for developers and makes it easier for city planners to review projects, according to MLive news. “In the end, more housing is available to residents sooner.”

So-called “pre-approved building” programs have garnered considerable attention recently. Few cities have adopted them to date, although the number is growing. They greatly streamline approvals for a select slate of plans that are publicly approved ahead of time. They typically still require site plan approval and some level of review, but the process is faster and more predictable. 

Both cities see multiple benefits in promoting infill development in walkable neighborhoods. “Re-investment in urban neighborhoods, many of which saw disinvestment for a variety of reasons through the years, not only heals the urban fabric and creates wealth for residents, it also makes economic sense for local communities by utilizing existing infrastructure and reducing the long-term liability of the taxpayers,” according to the project team.

The programs strengthen other efforts in South Bend and Kalamazoo, which are 80 miles apart in different states, yet have built a close planning relationship. Notre Dame in South Bend is one of the top architectural schools training new urbanists, including Kalamazoo’s Rebekah Kik, the Deputy City Manager, and former city planner who brought many of the ideas to that city. Both cities have revised their zoning codes, which previously hindered the development of missing middle housing types.

Adopting pre-approved building programs has ancillary benefits, both cities attest. Generating these building types and streamlining the process highlighted constraints to housing development that were previously unknown. For example, officials “realized that connecting to aged infrastructure was a significant financial barrier to infill in their older neighborhoods. Consequently, both cities developed programs and/or processes to help alleviate this roadblock, such as South Bend’s Sewer Lateral Reimbursement Program,” notes the project team.

The process also involved a study of local architectural and construction context, which sharpened each city’s vision of how they would like to grow in the future, with the input of residents and stakeholders. 

The Kalamazoo pre-approved housing types that have been built to date are “net-zero” buildings. Some of them also include solar power and are equipped with electric vehicle charging stations. “All of this was done to meet not only the city’s sustainability goals but also its housing affordability goals, especially in terms of ongoing utility costs for the units,” the city says.

The 2025 Charter Awards will be presented at CNU33 in Providence, Rhode Island, on June 12.

Midwest Pre-Approved Building Programs for Rebuilding Neighborhoods, Kalamazoo, MI, and South Bend, IN: 

• City of Kalamazoo, Principal firm
• City of South Bend, Tim Corcoran, Director of Planning and Community Resources
• J. Griffin Design LLC, Jennifer Griffin, Architect
• Jennifer Settle, Architect
• Electric Housing, Jim Kumon, Development Coach

2025 CNU Charter Awards Jury

• Rico Quirindongo (chair), Director, City of Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development
• Majora Carter, CEO of Majora Carter Group in the Bronx, New York City
• Jake Day, Maryland Secretary of Housing and Community Development
• Anne Fairfax, Principal, Fairfax & Sammons in New York, NY, and Palm Beach, FL
• Eric Kronberg, Principal, Kronberg Urbanists + Architects in Atlanta, GA
• Steven Lewis, Principal, ZGF Architects in Greater Los Angeles, CA
• Donna Moodie, Chief Impact Officer, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle
• Joe Nickol, Principal, Yard & Company in Cincinnati, OH