Housing insecurity in the United States continues to deepen, with conventional housing policies failing to meet the needs of unhoused populations. In response, tiny house villages (THVs) have grown as a grassroots solution, offering small, community-based dwellings. THVs sometimes operate outside conventional zoning and building regulations, reflecting a less formal mode of housing. Scholars have conceptualized similar arrangements using terms such as gray spaces , semi-formal housing , and hybrid urbanisms to describe similar forms of informality. Building on this literature, we employ the concept of quasi-formal housing to describe housing practices that have not yet been fully integrated into or recognized by formal urban planning frameworks. THVs can exemplify this in-between status and demonstrate how communities respond creatively to crisis and systemic exclusion of low-income classes. We argue for a more intentional integration of such models into housing policy to support equity, dignity, and inclusion.
Kpeebi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.