Turner on the Power of Shade to Combat Urban Heat

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , /by

UCLA Luskin urban planning professor Kelly Turner lends her expertise in urban planning and heat resilience to offer data-backed perspective on how shade — both leafy and architectural — is essential for public health. In a New York Times opinion piece, Turner challenges the conventional wisdom that shade makes public spaces less usable and desirable. She explains that shade can reduce outdoor heat burden as much as 30%, offering critical relief to vulnerable communities who bear the brunt of urban heat.

Turner most recently, in collaboration with American Forests, developed an innovative shade-mapping tool to identify where shade is most needed. These maps can guide transit planners to reroute bus stops to cooler corridors or encourage cities to add shade where it will have the most impact.

Though much of our current planning policy still prioritizes sunlight, Turner argues it’s time for a shift. As climate change accelerates, shadows shouldn’t be feared — they should be welcomed.

Luskin Alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 Welcomes Mayor Bass at Executive Directive Signing Edgar Garcia stands alongside Mayor Karen Bass as city advances protections for immigrants at historic Los Angeles landmark.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , , /by

UCLA Luskin alum Edgar Garcia MURP ’06 helped mark a significant moment in Los Angeles history as he welcomed Mayor Karen Bass to El Pueblo de Los Ángeles Historical Monument on July 11, where she signed a new executive directive to strengthen city protections for immigrant communities.

“In 1931, our plaza here, was the site of the forced repatriation of U.S. citizens of Mexican heritage, where raids occurred on unsuspecting visitors…It’s a sad history but a powerful reminder of what we are facing today,” said Garcia. “The fear and trauma of so many back then, has once again been awakened across our city. But there’s also another history — one rooted in hope, unity and solidarity.”

From the painful legacy of forced repatriations in the 1930s to the sanctuary movement sparked at La Placita Church in the 1980s by Father Olivares, Edgar reminded us our city’s history holds both trauma and hope — and a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable.

Mayor Bass’ directive comes in response to a wave of recent ICE raids in Los Angeles. The directive requires all city departments to comply with L.A.’s sanctuary ordinance, submit preparedness plans, and expand access to resources through Immigrant Affairs Liaisons. It also forms a working group to guide LAPD response to ICE activity and seeks federal records on recent immigration enforcement actions.

Garcia currently serves as Interim General Manager of the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, where he uses his educational background in urban planning as a tool for preservation, education, and community empowerment. His leadership reflects a deep commitment to honoring Los Angeles’ diverse history while shaping how future generations engage with and protect the city’s cultural and historic spaces.

Edith de Guzman on How Extreme Indoor Heat is a Public Health Crisis De Guzman advocates for stronger renter protections amid Los Angeles’ rising temperatures.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

Edith de Guzman of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, is quoted in a Patch article highlighting the urgent need for air conditioning access in Los Angeles rental housing and the broader health impacts of rising temperatures on vulnerable communities.

“Extreme indoor heat isn’t just a climate issue — it’s a public health issue,” says de Guzman. “The effects of unsafe indoor heat are not hypothetical — we all know what it’s like to live through a heat wave. It affects everything: your ability to work, cook, sleep and even breathe.”

As Los Angeles braces for a future with triple the number of 95-degree days due to climate change, a new report by Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE) urges stronger tenant protections to ensure renters have access to air conditioning — which it calls a life-saving necessity during extreme heat. The report highlights that many low-income renters in South L.A. lack cooling options and fear retaliation if they request them, despite the severe health risks posed by prolonged indoor heat. While California law mandates heating, it does not require landlords to provide cooling, prompting calls for new policies to guarantee tenants the right to install or receive AC.

Dorothy Faye Pirtle blends public policy and culinary arts to increase food access

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

Family, community and food have always been at the core of Dorothy Faye Pirtle’s educational journey. Growing up African American and Korean American in what was once known as South Central Los Angeles, Pirtle, a dual master’s candidate in public policy and urban regional planning, has been a longtime social justice advocate.

“For me, it’s about leading an interdisciplinary life through school, food, cooking,” she said.

Pirtle’s interest in this life began in a very personal way. With few Asian ingredients found at local grocery stores, Pirtle’s mother, who is Korean, grew produce in their backyard. Pirtle was able to connect with that part of her heritage as she learned how to grow and cook her own food, such as using herbs like mugwort in savory dishes and knowing which types of lettuce were best for Korean lettuce wraps. One of Pirtle’s fondest childhood memories was eating her mom’s seaweed soup.

Her focus on community and activism also started early. At 12 years old, Pirtle witnessed the civil unrest that spread across Los Angeles in April 1992 following the acquittal of the officers charged in the beating of Rodney King. She would go on to attend community events and meet Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders such as Marcia Choo and K.W. Lee.

Lee, a pioneering Asian American journalist who called Pirtle his “adopted granddaughter” during her fellowship at the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership, taught her and other Koreans about cross-racial solidarity. Choo, who later wrote one of Pirtle’s recommendation letters for UCLA, also modeled for her the importance of community-building, service and engagement. They inspired her to think more deeply about racial inequality.

Community activism through food

Pirtle began her higher education journey at UC Irvine, where she majored in social science. She also received associate degrees in culinary arts/chef training, professional baking and restaurant management from Los Angeles Trade Technical College.

While living in South L.A. City after finishing trade school, Pirtle began to connect food, community and policy together.

Her local supermarket — which supports 75,000 people — shut down, leaving neighborhoods without fresh produce and other goods.

“If you wanted to buy a tomato or cilantro — or laundry detergent — where would you go? I created the California Black Council on Food Policy out of this need to address what was happening in my community,” she said.

The coalition has gone on to tackle food disparities through solutions driven by Black communities experiencing these issues.

Using her previous work experience managing farmers markets and working at a business development center, Pirtle devised the idea of helping entrepreneurs access resources within the farmers market space and created the nonprofit Lily of the Nile 1992. The organization, which she founded in 2021, operates farmers markets, farm stands and food distributions to bring California-grown produce to South Los Angeles. It provides research on farmers market programs and facilitates access to these markets even for those who are spatially segregated from them while also fostering community by celebrating African American culinary traditions.

Pirtle works with farmers from historically underrepresented backgrounds to help them write grants. She secured a Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program award for K&K Ranch, a family-owned farm, to purchase a refrigerated truck. She plans on establishing farmers markets across the area and hosting the farmers she writes grants on behalf of.

“This work is very much about relationships and honoring what people do,” Pirtle said.

From Lulu to the Luskin Center

Her farmers market expertise and culinary skills ultimately brought Pirtle to UCLA. She drew on this experience while working at Lulu at the Hammer Museum. Conceived by Alice Waters and David Tanis, the farm-to-table restaurant allows people to experience regenerative, sustainable and seasonal produce. As a forager, Pirtle sourced local food from farmers markets and from around L.A. for their rotating menu.

“I would ask the chef, ‘Is there something special you want to make, and is there an ingredient that you’re looking for?’ And then I would go out and find the item,” Pirtle said.

This work and the connections made at Lulu deepened Pirtle’s interest in pursuing further education at UCLA. Pirtle became a dual degree student because she believes public policy can take a finite amount of resources and create infinite public good, such as through programs like CalFresh and farmer subsidies to help address food insecurity and inequities.

For her, it was a full-circle moment: UCLA was always Pirtle’s dream school, and she recognizes UCLA professors Kimberlé Crenshaw and Cheryl Harris, both legal scholars on race and justice, as two of the main reasons why.

She plans to use the knowledge gleaned from her dual master’s to develop urban gardens and farmers markets in South L.A. Currently, she is working on developing a farmers market with her nonprofit Lily of the Nile 1992 and the Lulu Project, Lulu’s arm for regenerative food and community wellness.

“My impetus for attending graduate school was looking at the community I came from and figuring out how I can make a difference here,” she said. “It was about deepening my relationship to land, people and place.”

This article was originally published on UCLA Newsroom. Read the full article here.

APA Honors Urban and Regional Planning Alumna for Transportation Equity Research The award-winning capstone project sheds light on the toll of extreme commutes on low-income communities in the San Fernando Valley.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Alejandra Rios Gutiérrez MURP ’24 was recently honored with the Academic Award by the Los Angeles section of the American Planning Association (APA) for her capstone project, “Lost Hours, Lost Opportunities: The Toll of Extreme Travel on Lower-Income Communities in the San Fernando Valley.” The award, which recognizes innovation and community impact in the field of planning, was presented at the APA awards ceremony held June 26 in Downtown Los Angeles.

Gutiérrez’s research, conducted in partnership with Pacoima Beautiful, a leading environmental justice organization serving Northeast San Fernando Valley’s Latinx communities, explores the profound and often invisible burdens of “extreme travel”—defined in her project as commutes exceeding 180 minutes per day for all essential trips, not just work. Her project, which included in-depth interviews and surveys, illuminated how transportation challenges intersect with systemic issues like housing unaffordability, job sprawl, and limited transit access—leaving low-income residents with fewer choices and heavier costs.

“My capstone was inspired by past coworkers and friends whose extreme commutes had serious impacts on their lives,” Gutiérrez shared. “I saw how long commutes take a toll on overall well-being, especially for low-income workers who have fewer choices about where they live or work.”

Her project does more than document these struggles, it reframes the entire planning conversation. “It was important to me that the project not only document the problem but also challenge how we define ‘access’ and who we design for. I want to center people’s time, labor, and well-being as core planning issues.”

Gutiérrez’s work arrives at a critical moment as the East San Fernando Valley Light Rail Transit Project prepares to break ground. Her findings offer key policy insights that could help ensure the project serves the communities most impacted by extreme travel. “Receiving this award from APA Los Angeles is a meaningful honor, especially because the project was rooted in the experiences of people whose needs are often overlooked in planning processes,” she said. “It affirms the importance of making visible the realities faced by extreme commuters and reinforces my belief that equity-centered research and advocacy are essential to the future of planning.”

She credits her training and education at UCLA Luskin for shaping her values as a planner. “My time at UCLA Luskin shaped my approach by encouraging both a critical lens and a strong commitment to justice. The program gave me the tools to analyze complex systems, as well as the space to ask deeper questions about who planning serves, what values guide our decisions, and how we build accountability into our work.”

Read her project “Lost Hours, Lost Opportunities: The Toll of Extreme Travel on Lower-Income Communities in the San Fernando Valley” here.

Terriquez Helps Spotlight Forgotten Latina Lesbian Activists in Groundbreaking L.A. Exhibit Terriquez, director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and faculty at UCLA Luskin, supports powerful exhibition that brings long-overdue recognition to Latina lesbian activism in East Los Angeles.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , /by

A new exhibition showcasing archival collections of prominent Latina lesbians and narrating their involvement in LGBTQ+, immigrant, labor, and housing justice movements, will be presented at the Vincent Price Art Museum at East Los Angeles College.

Veronica Terriquez, director of UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center (CSRC) and professor of urban planning, supported the curation of the “On the Side of Angels” exhibition, which features materials from the CSRC Library archives: photography, posters, magazines, and video footage from the collections of policy and civil rights advocate Laura Esquivel, tenant rights attorney Elena Popp, and former CSRC librarian Yolanda Retter Vargas. The exhibition was co-curated by Vanessa Esperanza Quintero and Jocelyne Sanchez and is on view through August 30.

“Our mission is to share with the public as much history as possible, including highlighting historical moments — and people — who tend to not receive all the attention or credit for their important work,” Terriquez said. “We are incredibly proud of this exhibition because it features women who championed immigrant rights, safer working conditions, and broader acceptance of LGBTQ and other marginalized communities — efforts that have paved the way for cross-movement solidarity in Los Angeles and beyond.”

Terriquez is co-founder of the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, an initiative focused on uplifting Latina leaders, scholars, and changemakers by producing research and storytelling that informs policy, empowers communities, and shapes a more inclusive future.

Her scholarship at UCLA Luskin centers on social movements, youth civic engagement, and intersectional equity, with a particular focus on low-income communities of color.

Fernando Torres-Gil highlights systemic gaps in long-term elder Torres-Gil describes the U.S. long-term care system as “a huge for-profit industry."

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

Fernando Torres-Gil, professor of social welfare and public policy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging, was quoted in a recent Los Angeles Times article examining the rising costs of in-home elder care — which can reach up to $18,600 per month in Southern California. Torres-Gil described the U.S. long-term care system as “a huge for-profit industry,” emphasizing that America remains “behind the curve” compared to other countries that offer universal long-term care support. He described the American care system as “a huge for‑profit industry,” noting that unlike many other developed nations, the U.S. lacks universal long-term care financing—a failure that has left “Americans behind the curve.”

UCLA Latino Politics and Policy Institute Maps the Heat: New Dashboard Reveals Climate Inequities for Latinos New UCLA dashboard highlights stark environmental health disparities impacting Latino communities.

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , , /by

A powerful new tool from UCLA Luskin’s Latino Policy & Politics Institute reveals the disproportionate impact of climate-related health risks on Latino communities across California. Featured in a recent Los Angeles Times article, the Latino Climate and Health Dashboard showcases stark disparities in heat exposure, pollution levels, and environmental conditions in Latino-majority neighborhoods compared to predominantly white areas.

The dashboard, which covers 23 counties home to over 90% of California’s Latino population, shows that Latino communities experience an average of 23 more extreme heat days per year and often face infrastructure challenges like limited tree canopy and older, poorly ventilated housing. These factors, combined with a high prevalence of outdoor labor, intensify environmental and health vulnerabilities.

The dashboard aims to empower policymakers, advocates, and communities to take informed action. Explore the tool at latinoclimatehealth.org.

Terriquez Highlights Stark Latina Wage Gap in New Regional Study New research reveals significant wage gap for Latina workers in Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Ventura counties.

/1 Comment/in , , , , , , , , , /by

Veronica Terriquez, a professor of Urban Planning and director of UCLA’s Chicano Studies Research Center, co-authored a recent UCLA-led study that reveals a stark wage disparity faced by Latina workers in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Despite making up nearly half of the female workforce in those regions, Latinas earn only 47–50 cents for every dollar earned by non-Hispanic white men — a gap Terriquez attributes to systemic barriers such as limited access to quality education and occupational segregation.

“Many Latinas are the primary earners in their households, and they contribute significantly as taxpayers and community members. When they are underpaid, the impact extends beyond individual workers, affecting families’ ability to access housing, education and health care and to plan for retirement,” the authors wrote in their analysis. “The consequences of their financial challenges ripple across the entire region.”

A Chicana sociologist and longtime advocate for social justice, Terriquez also co-founded the Latina Futures 2050 Lab, a CSRC initiative dedicated to advancing research and policies that promote equity and opportunity for Latina communities.

Read all Santa Cruz County reports here.

Former U.S. Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology Delivers Luskin Lecture Robert Hampshire shares lessons learned leading research and technology agenda for the nation’s transportation systems. 

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , , /by

By Stan Paul

For Robert Hampshire, former Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology at the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), leading innovation at the federal level involves cooperation and building trust among multiple industries and stakeholders.

Hampshire, who also served as the department’s Chief Science Officer — the first person to fill that role in more than four decades — came to UCLA this spring to discuss the importance of a mission-focused approach to challenges in transportation safety and serving all travelers on the nation’s roads and in the air.

Adam Millard-Ball, professor of urban planning and director of ITS,  introduced the keynote speaker for the April 28 Luskin Lecture co-hosted by the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS) as part of the Martin Wachs Distinguished Lecture Series.

Hampshire also talked about supply chain resilience and the future of un-crewed aerial systems (UAS) and shared his first-hand experiences and lessons learned during his four-year public service post. At USDOT, he led the federal agency’s research and technology agenda, including its $2 billion research and technology portfolio, across all modes of U.S. transportation while leading more than 1,000 public officials and public servants.

Since completing his service in 2025, Hampshire has settled back into his role as associate professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. But, he told the audience, “I’ve have had a little bit of time to rethink and formulate some thoughts about particularly now what it means to serve and the complexity of our times, challenges that we see to democracy, the polarization. But, all this in the context of so much technological change.”

As an academic, Hampshire describes his research as a blend of public policy, operations research, data science, and systems approaches to analyze novel transportation systems. These include smart parking, connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing, bike sharing, car sharing, as well as pedestrian and bicyclist safety. At the same time, he focuses on environmental impacts, equity, and access to opportunities.

Hampshire said an additional aim of his talk was to provide examples to researchers and students how to be more impactful, particularly as researchers.

“I really believe that as researchers, technologists, within the transportation sector, we need to work diligently to increase with our social capital. That’s our networks, not just who you know,” he said, emphasizing the importance of building trust, especially with different communities and building reciprocity and shared values, “…reaffirming things like ‘safety is why we’re here’…and particularly how we need to be more embedded into the transportation ecosystem, and also the non-transportation ecosystem — our friends in health, our friends in education and others.”

He recalled a number of experiences where research and technology played, and continues to play, an important public role. One example that made an important national impact was the implementation of 5G cellular which came into conflict with safety concerns for U.S. aviation while he was with USDOT. In late 2021, the FAA was preparing to ground every single airplane across the nation, just days before Christmas. But, Hampshire said, months before he was tasked with leading the technical response side of negotiations that involved the FAA, the White House and industry.

Hampshire said what was missing at that moment was social capital to get things done. But, ultimately a deal was negotiated where the telecom industry delayed deployment of 5G so they could work more closely with the aviation industry to roll it out nationwide in an orderly manner with no incident, Hampshire said.

“These are all little stories that you don’t hear, but there’s heroic efforts behind it. And I think that level of social capital and working relationships that were built during this time, are certainly going to serve the nation,” he said.

Ann E. Carlson, Faculty Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment at UCLA School of Law, later joined the lecture serving as moderator for further discussion on issues including drastic changes and budget cuts occurring at the federal level and their impact on federal employees and transportation. Hampshire and Carlson, who also served in the Biden-Harris administration as acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), discussed the future of automated vehicles, high-speed rail in California and also shared anecdotes about working with former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

Hampshire praised the leadership of Buttigieg and the many federal employees he worked with during his first stint in public service saying, “I’ll forever be grateful for what they taught me about public service and certainly, for the students and others, there’s true honor in public service. It’s something that’s worthwhile, and I’d do it again.”

Watch the full video of the event. View photos.

The UCLA Luskin Lecture Series enhances public discourse on topics relevant to the betterment of society. The Series features renowned public intellectuals, bringing together scholars as well as national and local leaders to address society’s most pressing problems. Lectures encourage interactive, lively discourse across traditional divides between the worlds of research, policy and practice. The Series demonstrates UCLA Luskin’s commitment to encouraging innovative breakthroughs and creative solutions to formidable public policy challenges.

The UCLA Institute of Transportation’s Wachs Lecture Series draws innovative thinkers to the University of California to address today’s most pressing issues in transportation. Created by students to honor the late Professor Martin Wachs upon his retirement from the University, the lecture rotates between Berkeley and UCLA, the campuses at which Marty taught. He passed away April 12, 2021.