Lens on the Biggest Fixes Needed in U.S. Housing Policy

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Michael Lens, chair of the Luskin Undergraduate Program at UCLA, joined a NOTUS Perspectives panel to discuss the biggest improvements the U.S. needs in its housing policy — particularly the lack of affordable housing nationwide. The conversation centered on one key issue: the nation’s severe shortage of affordable housing, driven by restrictive zoning and local barriers to new development.

Lens proposed that in order to remove barriers to housing production and establish state-level uniform standards, power needs to shift from local governments to state governments, which are more removed from political backlash surrounding decisions regarding housing.

“Local governments are not typically motivated to allow more homes to be built in their backyards. Perverse incentives create bad policies…that result in poor housing production numbers throughout the country,” said Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy.

Lens emphasized that reducing barriers to housing construction would also help those experiencing homelessness: “Once we reduce the barriers to building more homes, we can also better help those in need who cannot afford housing at any price,” he said.

Repercussions From the U.S.’ Plummeting Birth Rate

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UCLA Luskin’s Michael Lens spoke to KCBS News’ “Ask the Expert” program about repercussions from the plummeting birth rate in the United States.

The trend is caused by several factors. Many women are more financially independent than in past generations and may choose to delay childbearing. Others, however, are deterred from starting a family due to the high cost of living.

“It’s a much more financially daunting landscape for today’s 18- to 30-year-olds starting out in the world than it was 30 years ago,” said Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy. “It’s a really damaging thing if young people who want to have children feel financially unable to make that work.”

Advanced economies in the modern era often see declining birth rates, and the consequences include fewer people of working age who are able to hold up the social safety net for those who are retired, Lens said.

UCLA Housing Voice Podcast Celebrates 100 Episodes Hosted by Shane Phillips, the podcast continues to bridge the gap between academic research and real-world housing solutions.

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The UCLA Housing Voice Podcast, produced by the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative at the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, will release its 100th episode on October 22. The podcast, a biweekly program managed by Shane Phillips and joined by UCLA Luskin professors Michael Lens, Paavo Monkkonen, and Mike Manville as occasional co-hosts, aims to translate emerging housing research into practical insights for practitioners, policymakers, and the broader public.

Each episode features conversations with housing researchers on topics such as affordability, displacement, land-use policy, and tenant protections. The Randall Lewis Housing Initiative supports this work by producing research and public programming to shape public discourse. 

As a recent review from HousingForward Virginia put it, “What makes this podcast particularly valuable is how Phillips and his co-hosts translate academic jargon into practical insights. They don’t just present findings—they dig into what the research means for practitioners, policymakers, and communities.” 

Since its debut, the podcast has explored a wide range of topics, from California’s Senate Bill 9 duplex law and inclusionary zoning policies to comparative housing laws in countries such as Japan and New Zealand. Across its first 99 episodes, the series has traced the evolving global conversation on housing equity and policy innovation. 

The 100th episode will be available October 22 on all major podcast platforms. 

UCLA Luskin Public Affairs Majors Shine in Capstone Showcase

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By Stan Paul

A central and unique aspect of UCLA Luskin’s Public Affairs undergraduate major is the capstone requirement, a three-quarter project combining immersive learning experiences with a wide variety of settings in and outside of the University.

Jennifer Buckley was one of the Luskin class of 2025 displaying work at the capstone showcase held on June 4 in UCLA’s Carnesale Commons. As an incoming student, the Washington State native she said she explored traditional majors including economics and political science but finally chose public affairs.

“Actually, the capstone was one of the elements of the Public Affairs program that drew me to it, she said explaining, “It’s one of the only majors that offers, in my opinion, a direct application of the skills that you learn in real time through the capstone internship.”

Through the Public Affairs capstone, students can connect with community-based organizations, regional governments, and private companies, or pursue projects through the University of California’s international, Washington, D.C., or Sacramento programs. Rebecca Crane, associate director of undergraduate education at Luskin, said that some students work with Luskin research centers — one way to connect with faculty — noting students have worked with centers including the Center for Neighborhood Knowledge, the Latino Policy and Politics Institute (LPPI), and the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies.

Buckley’s interest in energy policy, the basis of her capstone, took her to South Carolina where she spent a summer working for the Palmetto Promise Institute located in the state’s capital, not far from her grandparents. While there, she worked on a number of projects related to energy policy and had the opportunity to attend meetings with legislators and policy makers.

Image of Jennifer Buckley.“I realized just how much of a need there is for strong energy policy in South Carolina. They’re at this kind of this crisis point where they have a grid that isn’t able to support the growing population and the growing energy demand. About 55% of their energy is from nuclear, which is pretty surprising,” she said.

Buckley said that the South Atlantic state also relies heavily on coal and fossil fuels, but she added, “They’re starting to transition away from it, but there’s a real need for strong energy policy that supports the increase in demand and encourages renewable energy to come into play as well.”

“The showcase is always a blast because of the diversity of projects and interests,” said Michael Lens, chair of Luskin undergraduate programs and professor of urban planning and public policy. “Our staff does an amazing job of cultivating relationships with community partners so the students have opportunities that are vetted and appropriate for an immersive year-long project.”

After identifying her topic, Buckley started producing work supporting bills in the state legislature. Working for Palmetto, she authored blogs, reports and opinion pieces she thought would be beneficial to the state and its residents. Some of her writing was picked up by South Carolina newspapers, and one of her energy pieces, she said, was incorporated into the most recent energy bill passed by the South Carolina Senate.

“My objective was to see how many eyes on energy policy I could get in South Carolina,” Buckley said. “That’s how I got connected, and that summer experience was really what I wanted to continue for my capstone.”

…students in the Public Affairs major are ‘bonded by a shared desire to make a change and make an impact and make a difference… it’s kind of a current that runs through the undergrad community.’

During her time as a Public Affairs major, Buckley was able to take advantage of cross-listed graduate-level offerings at Luskin and earn Public Affairs major credits in Prague as part of a legal internship through UCLA’s global internship program.

“I was studying abroad with other public affairs majors. It was a little group of us all in Prague, which is kind of cool.”

That’s another unique aspect of the Luskin undergrad experience. Buckley said that students in the Public Affairs major are “bonded by a shared desire to make a change and make an impact and make a difference… it’s kind of a current that runs through the undergrad community.”

View photos.

Lens on Racial and Economic Challenges in Dallas

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UCLA Luskin Urban Planning and Public Policy Professor Michael Lens weighed in on the challenges of establishing a so-called “Black Mecca” in Dallas in an interview with The Dallas Observer. While some cities have historically served as economic and cultural hubs for Black communities, Lens noted that Dallas lacks the key factors that have fostered such environments elsewhere. “The history of segregation and limited economic mobility for Black residents in Dallas makes it difficult to establish a thriving, self-sustaining Black economic center,” he explained. His comments highlight broader systemic barriers to Black homeownership, wealth-building, and neighborhood stability in the region.

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UCLA Grants Deepen Ties to the L.A. Community Projects by Luskin faculty will build collaboration among scholars, students and local partners

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The first goal of UCLA’s Strategic Plan is deepening collaborations and connections with Los Angeles. This academic year, several UCLA Luskin faculty are helping the university meet that mark.

As recipients of grants from the UCLA Center for Community Engagement, these faculty will explore ways to strengthen ties between community partners and UCLA students and scholars, with the goal of finding solutions to L.A.’s most pressing issues.

This year, the UCLA Community-Engaged Research Grants will fund exploratory projects including:

Achieving and Implementing Abolition in Los Angeles

Co-Principal Investigators: David C. Turner III, assistant professor of social welfare, and Kelly Lytle Hernandez, professor of history, African American studies and urban planning

Community Partners: Justice LA; Check the Sheriff’s Coalition; Police-Free LAUSD Coalition; People’s Budget LA Coalition; PUSH LA Coalition; LA Youth Uprising Coalition

Million Dollar Hoods is a UCLA research project that advances the labors of activists and advocates working to change how public dollars are spent in Los Angeles. In particular, it advances the work of those seeking to reduce criminal justice budgets while expanding health services, housing options, welfare benefits and employment opportunities. This grant will fund a deep strategic planning and research process focused on implementing community-led policy initiatives that reallocate public resources to supporting human-centered services.

Aligning Housing Policy With Popular Demand for More Housing

Co-Principal Investigators: Zachary Steinert-Threlkeld, associate professor of public policy, and Paavo Monkkonen, professor of urban planning and public policy

Community Partner: Abundant Housing Los Angeles

Angelenos understand the scarcity of housing and want to see more constructed. According to a November 2020 survey by the Los Angeles Department of City Planning, 64% of Angelenos call increasing housing supply a top or high priority. Support for more housing is one of the few bipartisan policy issues in the country, yet new housing construction in Los Angeles remains at multi-decade lows and rents and housing prices continue to rise. Untangling this puzzle is the focus of this community research.

Building Urban Soil Networks in Los Angeles for Research and Action

Co-Principal Investigators: Kirsten Schwarz, associate professor of urban planning and environmental health sciences, and Jennifer Jay, professor of civil and environmental engineering

Community Partners: TreePeople; Physicians for Social Responsibility – LA; Communities for a Better Environment; Watts Labor Community Action Committee – Better Watts Initiative

Urban soils are an important regional and national equity concern that shape the health and well-being of urban dwellers. They also represent a paradox of sorts, as contaminated soils are a hazard and clean soils are beneficial to the ecosystem. This project brings together community groups active in urban soils work in the L.A. region to build relationships, identify potential collaborations, and begin the process of coalescing around a common set of research priorities and actions.

Building Worker Power: Support for Low-Wage Worker Leadership With the Los Angeles Worker Center Network

Co-Principal Investigators: Chris Zepeda-Millan, associate professor of public policy, Chicano/a and Central American studies and political science, and chair of UCLA’s Labor Studies program; and Tobias Higbie, professor of history and director of the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment

Community Partners: Los Angeles Worker Center Network, including: CLEAN CarWash Worker Center; Garment Worker Center; Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance; Los Angeles Black Worker Center; Pilipino Workers Center; Restaurant Opportunities Center Los Angeles; Warehouse Workers Resource Center

The UCLA Labor Center, a founding member of the Los Angeles Worker Center Network, seeks to document best practices around multi-racial, multi-industry, multi-language organizing in support of labor standards, immigrant rights and anti-discrimination enforcement. In this project, researchers and worker centers will determine the best methods — such as popular education, storytelling, academic journals and social media — to document successful and replicable L.A. worker campaigns since 2009. They will also implement legal clinics and provide technical assistance to local agencies enforcing fair labor laws.

Healing Within While Incarcerated: The Role of Credible Messengers in Transformative Justice in L.A. County

Co-Principal Investigators: Lauren Ng, assistant professor of psychology, and Laura Abrams, professor of social welfare

Community Partner: Healing Dialogue and Action

Incarcerated youth experience a multitude of poor social, emotional and physical health outcomes after detention. To address these concerns, Los Angeles County has adopted a “rehabilitative, care-first model” of juvenile justice that is being implemented by Credible Messengers — leaders with the lived experience of incarceration. There has been limited academic collaboration investigating Credible Messenger programs. This partnership with an organization working in county juvenile justice facilities will advance the science behind the Credible Messenger approach with the aim of promoting healing of justice-involved youth.

Housing and Homelessness Justice Research Collaborative

Co-Principal Investigators: Chris Herring, assistant professor of sociology, and Ananya Roy, professor of urban planning, social welfare and geography

Community Partners: LA Tenants Union; Union de Vecinos

This grant supports a recently established collaborative partnership between UCLA faculty and the Downtown local of the LA Tenants Union. The funds will allow the partners to broaden a study of Los Angeles’ Permanent Supportive Housing initiative to address homelessness. Despite billions of dollars recently committed to this initiative, no research to date has examined its success or weaknesses. The UCLA grant will allow additional community partners to participate and aid the collaborative in envisioning a multi-year tenant justice research agenda.

Interdisciplinary Center on Housing and Homelessness

Co-Principal Investigators: Till von Wachter, professor of economics; Michael Lens, professor of urban planning and public policy; and Elizabeth Bromley, professor in residence of psychiatry and anthropology

Community Partners: Individual community members; Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority; L.A. County Department of Health Services; L.A. County Department of Mental Health; L.A. County Department of Social Services

L.A.’s housing and homelessness crises are caused by a complex web of factors ranging from lack of housing production and zoning policies to structural racism in labor markets and justice systems. This project focuses on developing an interdisciplinary center that brings research communities together with people with lived experience of homelessness and policymakers from Los Angeles government and nonprofit agencies. The project emphasizes structural reforms needed to reduce homelessness and aims to inform the public debate by replacing misconceptions with data and research.

Previous awards from the UCLA Center for Community Engagement supported the development of two courses designed to immerse undergraduates in community-engaged research. The grants went to Associate Professor of Public Policy Meredith Phillips, who developed a course on data analysis for educational research, and Associate Professor of Social Welfare Lené Levy-Storms, who developed a course on human aging through an interdisciplinary lens.

Read about all of the 2024-25 Community-Engaged Research Exploratory Grants.

Lens on Zoning Changes in Minneapolis

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Michael Lens, UCLA Luskin professor of urban planning and public policy, commented in a Minneapolis Spokesman-Recorder article on Minneapolis’ progress over the past 14 years to end a longtime policy of exclusionary single-family zoning, which “perpetuates segregation by race and class,” Lens said. He explained, “Multi-family housing, particularly in higher-income neighborhoods in cities with high housing demand, is often more affordable for people than single-family homes.” Over more than a decade, the city has dedicated half of its construction projects, more than $1 billion in construction value, to affordable housing, according to the story. Relaxed zoning laws, part of the city’s 2040 plan, allows duplexes and triplexes to be built in residential areas as well as promote denser development near transit. The changes are intended to increase affordable housing in areas historically subject to exclusionary zoning practices, including business corridors, to provide better access to housing near jobs and services.

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Lens on L.A.’s Spiking Rental Housing Prices During Wildfires

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UCLA Luskin Professor of Public Policy and Urban Planning Michael Lens commented in an LAist story on skyrocketing rental housing prices in Los Angeles amid the region’s devastating wildfires. The article cites examples of online listings nearly doubling since the fires broke out, while thousands of residents who have lost their homes or been displaced are now scrambling to find alternative places to live. California Gov. Gavin Newsom already has imposed an emergency declaration that includes a ban on price gouging — any price increase above 10% of pre-disaster rates. In another LAist story, Lens said homeowners who’ve paid off their mortgages and long-term renters who were paying below market rates could particularly struggle to get back on their feet. “Folks who haven’t had to really think about where they’re going to live next — who may have been living in, fortunately, stable housing situations for the last couple decades — are going to see a lot of sticker shock,” Lens said.

 

The Evolution of Black Neighborhoods, Through a Hip-Hop Lens

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A new book by UCLA Luskin Professor Michael Lens examines the characteristics and trajectories of Black neighborhoods across the United States over the 50 years since passage of the Fair Housing Act.

In “Where the Hood At?,” Lens uses the growing influence of hip-hop music, born out of Black neighborhoods in the 1970s, to frame a discussion of the conditions that have allowed these communities to flourish or decline.

Published this week by the Russell Sage Foundation, the book reveals significant gaps in quality of life between Black Americans and other racial and ethnic groups, and also shows that neighborhood conditions vary substantially region by region. For example, Black neighborhoods are more likely to thrive in the South but are particularly disadvantaged in the Midwest and Rust Belt.

Lens offers several recommendations for policies designed to uplift Black neighborhoods. One radical proposal is implementing programs, such as tax breaks for entrepreneurs or small business owners, that would encourage Black Americans to move to prosperous communities in the South and consolidate their political and economic power. He also calls for building more affordable housing in Black suburbs, where poverty levels are lower than in central cities.

Lens is a professor of urban planning and public policy, chair of the Luskin Undergraduate Programs and associate faculty director of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies. His research and teaching explore the potential of public policy to address housing market inequities that disadvantage low-income families and communities of color.

 

Mixed Results on Housing Initiatives

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An LAist article on local and state ballot measures addressing housing and homelessness called on UCLA Luskin’s Michael Lens and Shane Phillips for perspective. The latest returns show that more than 56% of L.A. County voters supported Measure A, which increases sales taxes to fund homeless services and new affordable housing development. However, Measure H, the initiative that first established the tax back in 2017, drew 69% support, noted Phillips, a researcher with the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies. The dip in support may signal fatigue with funding homelessness efforts through the ballot box. Lens, a professor of urban planning and public policy, weighed in on Proposition 5, the state initiative that would have made it easier to pass affordable housing bonds. Angelenos joined other Californians in voting Prop. 5 down, perhaps because they found the initiative confusing. “A lot of times the default, I think, goes to ‘no’ because you’re suspicious if you don’t fully understand something,” Lens said.

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