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Home / Gregory Pierce
Headshot of Greg Pierce
  • Global Public Affairs, Urban Planning

Gregory Pierce

Associate Professor in Residence of Urban Planning; Research and Co-Executive Director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

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Greg Pierce (he/him) is the Research and Co-Executive Director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the director of the Human Right to Water Solutions Lab. He is also the director of the UCLA Water Resources Group within the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and serves as an adjunct associate professor in the department of urban planning. He is a faculty affiliate of the Lewis Center for Regional Studies and Institute of Transportation Studies in the Luskin School, and Center for Healthy Climate Solutions in the Fielding School of Public Health.Dr. Pierce’s research, teaching and service is motivated by persistent inequities in access to the essential environmental services that we need to survive and thrive. He examines how infrastructure planning and policy efforts either perpetuate or address service inequities, and demonstrates how communities strategically cope with and overcome inequities. His primary focus is on water insecurity, but he also examines solutions to cross-cutting green infrastructure, climate resilience and transport insecurities.He has secured 40+ extramural research funding awards as a principal investigator at the Center for Innovation. Current and past sponsors of this work include the California State Water Resources Control Board, the California Air Resources Board, the Strategic Growth Council, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, WaterAid, the Water Foundation, The Resources Legacy Fund, the World Bank, the UC Multicampus Research Initiative, the UC Institute of Transportation Studies and the UCLA Grand Challenge, LADWP and Los Angeles County.Pierce is an author or co-author of 50+ peer-reviewed articles, including many in the leading journals in urban studies, infrastructure planning and policy and environmental health, as well as 20+ major Luskin Center for Innovation reports. He has also reviewed articles for 50+ journals, several funding agencies and many collaborating researchers. Pierce received a PhD in urban planning in 2015 and an MA in urban planning in 2011, both from UCLA. For more information regarding his peer-reviewed research, see here. For Pierce’s full CV, see here.

 

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Educational Background

  • PhD in Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs
  • MA in Urban Planning, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Latest News

Kitchen faucet running water.
Pierce on the Necessity of Water Filters
March 23, 2026

As uncertainty rises over the quality and safety of tap water in the United States, debates have surfaced over whether or not a filter is necessary.

A turtle swimming in the ocean.
Pierce on Alternate Solutions for Drinking Water as Global Temperatures Rise
January 26, 2026

As global temperatures rise, companies are investigating alternate desalination methods that produce drinking water without harming ocean ecosystems.

Latest News

Group of masters in urban and regional planning students stand with their advisors on their capstone presentation day.|

UCLA Student Research Drives Water Resilience and Equitable Solutions in Post-Fire Los Angeles

August 28, 2025

A team of UCLA master’s students in urban and regional planning (MURP) has produced an extensive report offering real-world strategies to strengthen water security.

fire hydrant

Pierce on Water Utility System Challenges in California

May 19, 2025

UCLA expert joins discussion how policymakers can improve systems amid a more extreme and destructive climate.

image of downtown Los Angeles skyline

Pierce on L.A.’s Just Energy Transition Initiative

April 30, 2025

Five key insights from Los Angeles may be helpful to other cities.

photo of Salton Sea area

Pierce on Restoring California’s Salton Sea

April 1, 2025

A combination of factors could boost efforts to resurrect the former recreational lake area.

Pierce on Building Resilient Water Systems

March 27, 2025

Federal action not likely in coming years for historically neglected communities most vulnerable says UCLA water expert.

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Contact Information

Phone

(310) 267-5435

Email

gpierce@luskin.ucla.edu

Media Contact

For media inquiries, contact Kate Shirley at kshirley@luskin.ucla.edu (email preferred) or 310-206-5252.

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  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
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  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
  • Master of Public Policy (MPP)
  • Master of Real Estate Development (MRED)
  • Master of Social Welfare (MSW)
  • Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP)
  • PhD in Social Welfare
  • PhD in Urban Planning
Undergraduate Programs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
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  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
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  • Public Policy
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  • Undergraduate Program
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  • All Faculty
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Leadership
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Research Centers
  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Agile Visual Analytics Lab (AVAL):

    Uses data visualization to improve decision-making for family and child services.

  • Berggruen Governance Index

    Evaluates the quality of political governance and democracy worldwide.

  • Center for Neighborhood Knowledge (CNK)

    Specializes in spatial analysis of socioeconomic disparities in neighborhoods.

  • Center for Policy Research on Aging (CPRA)

    Explores the societal and policy implications of an aging population.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS)

    A national leader in transportation policy and mobility research.

  • Institute on Inequality and Democracy

    Advances scholarship addressing displacement and dispossession in Los Angeles and beyond.

  • Latin American Cities Initiative

    Connects urban planning and policy networks across the Americas.

  • Latino Policy & Politics Institute (LPPI)

    Addresses policy challenges facing Latinos and communities of color.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

  • Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

    Researches housing, transportation, and economic development in Southern California.

  • Los Angeles Education Research Institute (LAERI)

    Collaborates with schools to improve educational outcomes for L.A. students.

  • Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI)

    Focuses on environmental policy, clean energy, and climate justice.

  • UCLA Voting Rights Project

    The flagship project for voting rights litigation and policy research.

All Research Centers
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