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The Ralph & Goldy Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies was founded in 1988 with a $5 million endowment gift from Ralph and Goldy Lewis.  The goal of the Lewis Center is to advance research solutions for California’s urban and regional challenges, with an emphasis on transportation, economic development and housing, and the environment.  The operations of the Lewis Center are supported by our endowment, many other private donors and foundations, and research grants from a variety of agencies.

The work of the Lewis Center is guided by an Advisory Board  comprised of prominent private and public sector leaders and an Executive Board  comprised of leaders on the UCLA campus.  Its day-to-day operations are directed by a Director, Associate Director, Communications & Events Manager, Data & Information Technology Manager, and an Operations Manager.  Center research is conducted by Faculty Fellows , Visiting and Post-Doctoral Scholars, Research Staff , and dozens of talented students.  The Faculty Fellows are drawn from the three departments of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs – Public Policy, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning – and are appointed based on their scholarly achievements in areas that align with the Lewis Center mission.

In addition to these staff and researchers, the Lewis Center also supports several ongoing programs and initiatives.  Current efforts include the Complete Streets Initiative , led by Madeline Brozen, the Lake Arrowhead Symposium on the Transportation – Land Use – Environment Connection , led by Florentina Craciun, and the Spatial Analysis Group, led by Norman Wong.  The Lewis Center supports faculty and student research in many other ways as well, including providing research space, secure data storage, hosting lectures and symposia, and providing financial support of student research, among others.

Since 2011, the Lewis Center has been led by Urban Planning Professor Brian D. Taylor.  Previous Directors include JR DeShazo  (Public Policy, 2006 – 2011), Paul Ong  (Asian-American Studies, Social Welfare, and Urban Planning, 1998 – 2006), Roger Waldinger  (Sociology, 1994 – 1998), and Allen Scott  (Geography and Public Policy, 1988 – 1994).