Big Ideas for Small Lots: A Design Challenge with Real-World Impact

The BAP Team recently had the opportunity to participate in the Small Lots, Big Impacts Design Competition, hosted by UCLA’s CityLab. The competition invited architects, planners, and designers from across California to propose innovative solutions for a pressing urban challenge: how to transform small, irregular, or overlooked parcels of land into viable, affordable housing.

With the housing crisis continuing to impact communities statewide, including here in Santa Barbara, this competition struck a meaningful chord with us. The premise was straightforward yet profound: cities like Los Angeles are dotted with thousands of oddly shaped or forgotten lots that are typically seen as unusable. But what if we flipped the script and saw these “leftover” spaces as an opportunity rather than a limitation?

Participants were asked to design housing that was not only affordable and replicable but also sensitive to the neighborhoods in which these parcels exist. The competition emphasized creative problem-solving, environmental sustainability, and equitable design outcomes.

Working on this project challenged our team to think differently about scale, density, and design flexibility. It reminded us that great design can (and must) happen even on the smallest of sites. But more than that, it underscored the urgency of rethinking land use policies and development models in our own backyard.

Santa Barbara is no stranger to the same constraints that shaped this competition; tight zoning, high costs, and limited available land. The process reinforced what we already knew: solving our local housing challenges will require fresh thinking, smart policy, and a willingness to engage with unconventional spaces.

While this competition was focused on Los Angeles, the ideas and strategies developed through it are directly relevant to communities like ours. We're excited to carry the energy and inspiration from this experience forward as we explore how similar design concepts could be applied here in Santa Barbara.

Click HERE for a full list of submissions and winners

Bildsten Architecture and Planning’s submission: Slice of Light