Matthew Drennan’s paper, “Does public transit use enhance the economic efficiency of urban areas?” has been accepted for presentation at the World Symposium of Transport and Land Use Research in Whistler, British Columbia, in July, 2011. Susanna Hecht was recently profiled in Conservation magazine about forest resurgence, and has a forthcoming profile in Yale Environment. Min Zhou is currently conducting two research projects.  One is on Africans in Guangzhou, China.  She completed the first phase of her African migrants in Guangzhou project in summer 2010, focusing on racial attitudes of Guangzhou residents toward Africans and African migration into China.  Data includes a questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and systematic field observations.  She presented her work at UCLA Center for Chinese Studies symposium on March 7, 2011.  She will continue to do the second phase of her research in summer 2011, focusing on African migrants’ attitudes toward Guangzhou residents and the city. Zhou’s other project is on Chinese immigrant transnational organizations, which is drawing[…]

The Lewis Center supports research that is aligned with its initiative areas: transportation, environment, housing and economic development. Each fall, the Lewis Center allocates approximately 6 graduate student awards of $1,000 to $4,500 each in support of theses, Applied Policy Projects (APP’s), client projects, Applied Management Research (AMR’s), and law school related research projects in these fields of study. Priority is given for research focused on policy issues relevant to California. The grants may be used for research costs such as data, software, travel for data collection, production of final report, and undergraduate research assistance. The program will not cover graduate student salaries, tuition remission, meals, or gift cards. The posted deadline for academic year 2011-2010 is October 21, 2011, and the application procedure will be widely publicized at the beginning of fall quarter. New this year: students who engage in early research are welcome to apply for Lewis Center support anytime ahead of deadline, to be evaluated on a rolling basis. Proposals[…]

Throughout the 2010-1011 academic year, the Lewis Center is supporting The Harvey Perloff Lectures on the Future of Urban, Regional, and Planning Scholarship, organized by the Department of Urban Planning at UCLA, in honor of planning pioneer and long-time UCLA Dean Harvey S. Perloff. Department faculty nominated a diverse array of urban, regional, and planning scholars to be part of this series, ranging from preeminent senior scholars to young scholars doing cutting-edge research. From amongst these nominations, a range of preeminent scholars have accepted the invitation to come to UCLA to reflect on what they see as the most vexing issues and questions confronting cities and regions over the next decade, and the types and methods of planning research needed to address them. The goal of this series is to begin a conversation among our faculty and students on the most important intellectual questions facing our field over the coming decade. 2010-2011 Perloff Lecture Series

  California is an experiment in extreme democracy gone wrong, says Andreas Kluth, West Coast Correspondent for The Economist. But reform could make it a model for others. Please join us for an evening discussion with Andreas Kluth and other experts on California’s fiscal and governance crisis.  Hear about the reform proposals needed to bring our Golden State back on track as a model of democracy for the nation and the world. The evening’s talks will feature the upcoming release of a special issue on California, and will foster an engaging and thought-provoking discussion on the future of California. Roundtable discussants will include Robert Hertzberg, Co-chair, California Forward; Daniel J.B. Mitchell, UCLA Professor Emeritus; and Carol Whiteside, Partner, California Strategies LLC. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required. The event is presented by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, UCLA Lewis Center, UCLA Anderson Alumni Network, and The Economist.   Reservations

The Complete Streets for Los Angeles conference, hosted by the UCLA Lewis Center, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health RENEW Program on February 25th, 2011, brought together over 250 participants for a full day of presentations, discussion, and networking. UCLA Professor J.R. DeShazo said the event, held at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles, was an opportunity to discuss alternative street designs to create better public spaces, craft a Complete Streets vision for Los Angeles, and create a plan of action to guide future efforts. Presenters discussed a host of topics from streets as health and safety issues to effective design for vibrant, multimodal streets to policy and funding strategies to making Complete Streets a reality in Los Angeles.  Researchers, advocates, practitioners, political officials, and community members attended, representing the range of organizations and institutions that need to come together to create an effective Complete Streets coalition. The conference[…]

UCLA symposium helps California move toward low-carbon transportation and sustainable growth As California moves forward to reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions and secure a more sustainable future, research plays a key role in informing which policies should be implemented. The March 8 symposium, “Measuring Progress towards Transportation Greenhouse Gas Goals,” recently convened a group of California’s top thinkers to discuss how the state can predict greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. Included in this group were leading faculty from the University of California System, influential policymakers and stakeholders, and some of the state’s leading technical expertise. The event was co-sponsored by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the UC Institute of Transportation Studies Multi-campus Research Program and Initiative on Sustainable Transport. More information on the symposium, including background materials and audio of the proceedings, are available online.

The Lewis Center Spatial Analysis Group (formerly Center for Neighborhood Knowledge -CNK) will take part at this year’s event, titled Discovering LA County through GIS. The purpose of the event is to reach out to County residents, government employees, and students to show them how county and city governments use GIS to make better decisions. The day will include Geographic Information System (GIS) demonstrations, presentations from industry leaders, a map gallery, games, and activities focused on what we can achieve with GIS and how it can be used in your area of work. When: November 17, 2010, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Where: County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, Headquarters 900 S. Fremont Avenue, Alhambra, CA 91803

It is no secret that California real estate is among the most expensive in the nation. Research has shown that California house prices are far above what would be predicted based on the costs of home construction, which is generally not the case in other regions. There are two primary explanations for the California price premium. The first focuses on the supply side, maintaining that California’s onerous restrictions on development – stringent zoning, time-consuming permitting, high developer exactions, etc. – artificially add tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to the price of a home. Another explanation focuses on demand. It suggests that the “California dream” is very much alive, and that the high quality of life in California – thanks to amenities like the weather, the natural setting, and leisure and cultural opportunities – is responsible for the high cost of real estate in the state. In this case, Californians are getting what they are paying for. PhD[…]

Transportation and parking expert Prof. Donald Shoup of the Urban Planning Department proposes increasing fines for chronic offenders of parking violations in the 10/27/10 edition of the Los Angeles Times:  “Stronger punishments for serial offenses are standard legal practice. As an extreme example, California sentences third-time felony offenders to life in prison. No one should receive a life sentence after three parking tickets, but higher fines for repeated parking offenses do fit logically within the legal system. Flat-rate parking fines are like treating hardened criminals and first-time offenders equally.” Read the full article.

The Lewis Center opened its doors to over 70 friends and colleagues who came to tour the upgraded research suites, learn about upcoming initiatives and events, and meet the new executive team and the many people who have contributed to the Lewis Center over the years. The event marked the dedication of the “Professor Paul M. Ong Visiting Professor Suite,” and also recognized the accomplishments of previous directors, Allen Scott and Roger Waldinger. Featured highlights included the announcement of Access magazine, the new Center for Neighborhood Knowledge spatial analysis group, and the introduction of new advisory board members and faculty fellows. We invite and welcome students and faculty, researchers and friends, to continue to take part in our active programs.