A city-sponsored design competition could inform the way multifamily houses are built in Cincinnati − and the public gets to decide which ideas are the best.
Voting is now open for Cincinnati's BuildReady Design Competition, part of a city of Cincinnati initiative launched this spring to create pre-approved plans for two-, three- and four-family homes. Backed by a $2 million federal housing grant, the program aims to speed construction of "missing middle" housing, a type of development city leaders say could help address Cincinnati's housing shortage.
According to a press release, the city received 92 submissions from 63 teams across 29 cities, 16 states and two countries. The names of the teams have not been disclosed yet, but the housing designs,
along with a description of each, are available to review.
The public is invited to choose which entries will receive “People’s Choice Awards." Voters can select their top three designs in each category.
Voting is open through Sept. 2.
What are pre-approved designs for housing?
While still relatively new, pre-approved housing plans have started to gain traction in U.S. cities as a way to reduce permitting delays, speed up construction and lower development costs.
Think of them as the housing equivalent of buying from a catalog instead of hiring an architect to design a home from scratch. That way, developers can choose from plans that have already been reviewed and approved by the city.
A May 2026 report from the Pew Charitable Trusts found that a growing number of midsize and smaller cities are creating these plan libraries, allowing some projects to move through approvals in about half the usual time. The most common examples are "pattern books" offering free or low-cost reusable designs and blueprints for housing types such as duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings.
The Enquirer previously reported that South Bend, Indiana, implemented a pattern book in 2021, an effort that drew interest from Cincinnati officials and preservation advocates during the Connected Communities debate a few years later.
As of 2026, over 40 U.S. jurisdictions have some sort of pre-approved plan program, per Pew, and lawmakers are starting to tackle this at the state level, from Washington to Hawaii to New York and Tennessee.
Will the winning housing designs be built?
The winning designs will not necessarily end up on Cincinnati streets.
The design competition is meant to inspire future pre-approved plans, and to start a public conversation about the process, according to city planning staff. But the winners in each category, who will be announced at an event on Sept. 14, will be invited to submit formal plans in a city request for proposals.
The BuildReady initiative is also expected to help pay for the construction of at least two buildings using the formal plans.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: City opens public voting for pre-approved housing plans. See designs
