Missing Middle Housing (MMH): From Research to Action

Closing the Financing Gap in Missing Middle Housing: From Research to Action

The Industry Challenge

Across the United States, communities face a critical shortage of diverse, attainable housing options. While single-family homes and large multifamily buildings dominate the market, a key category in between — Missing Middle Housing (MMH) — remains underdeveloped.

These housing types, which include duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and small apartment buildings, offer density, affordability, and community-friendly design. Yet, despite their potential, MMH developments struggle to break ground.

The reasons are complex:

• Regulatory barriers such as restrictive zoning and design codes.

• Limited financing tools that make projects less attractive to lenders and investors.

• Market perception gaps, with developers hesitant to enter a space perceived as higher risk.

• Fragmented policy alignment between federal, state, and local stakeholders.

Without targeted solutions, this gap in the housing ecosystem will persist — leaving families, workers, and communities without the options they need.

What CULTIVA and our teaming partner could do to help resolve this challenge

To address these challenges, CULTIVA Global Solutions, in partnership with Miller Realty, has the capabilities to identify the financing barriers holding back MMH development, explain why they persist, and recommend actionable paths forward.

If selected for this work, we could approach it as follows:

1. Multi-City Research and Case Studies

   We could conduct parallel fieldwork in five diverse cities, each with unique market conditions, policy environments, and community needs. By comparing and contrasting these environments, we would identify patterns and opportunities at a national scale.

2. AI-Enhanced Data Analysis

   Leveraging our proprietary research tools, we could rapidly ingest and synthesize large volumes of data from targeted sources. This would accelerate insight generation, enabling us to adapt to emerging findings without delaying the study’s progress.

3. Stakeholder Collaboration

   We could engage a broad range of stakeholders — from policymakers and financiers to local developers and housing advocates — through roundtables, interviews, and community engagement sessions. This would ensure recommendations are grounded in both policy realities and operational feasibility.

4. Actionable, Publication-Ready Reporting

   We could deliver findings in formats designed for clarity, usability, and strategic impact. From interim updates to the final comprehensive report, each deliverable would be structured to inform policy decisions and guide practical implementation.
   

We would be an ideal contractor for this work because our capabilities include:

• Federal Housing Expertise: Direct experience managing housing initiatives for federal agencies, VA, and USDA.

• Financial and Regulatory Insight: Deep subject-matter expertise in real estate development finance, regulatory frameworks, and market dynamics.

• Operational Agility: A rapid-deployment research model enabling concurrent, nationwide data collection without compromising quality.

• Quality and Risk Management: ISO 9001–aligned processes, detailed risk mitigation frameworks, and stakeholder-informed project management.
  

From Policy Insight to Community Impact

At CULTIVA Global Solutions, we believe research must lead to action. By uncovering the systemic and financial barriers to MMH development — and by providing federal agencies with clear, actionable strategies — we aim to help communities nationwide expand housing choices, promote affordability, and strengthen local economies.

We understand that the Missing Middle Housing Finance Study is more than a research project, and we would be an excellent contractor to carry out this work.