The City of LA recently launched a design competition for prototype bungalow/cottage courts (which they’re oddly calling townhouses) called Small Lots, Smart Designs:

bq. In trying to meet the need for housing, the City of Los Angeles adopted the Small Lot Subdivision Ordinance #176354 that provides an entirely new housing option: allowing individuals or developers to purchase a lot zoned for commercial or multi-family residential use and subdivide into much smaller lots than previously required with no setback requirement between the subdivided lots.

Cottages give people the opportunity to own single family, possibly (semi-)detached housing — which, for better or worse, does carry a market premium — without the financial or time costs of a large yard. Low-rise construction is subject to less stringent building codes and potentially greater design flexibility, which could also further reduce the cost of housing.