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Home / Gregory Pierce
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  • 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

L.A. skyline with solar grid in foreground

L.A. Asks How to Equitably Achieve 100% Clean Energy by 2035 — and UCLA Answers

November 16, 2023

Luskin School research centers join cross-campus effort to guide LADWP strategies centered on equity and justice.

A large body of standing water is visible in the foreground, with mountains in the distance

Pierce Says Think Again if You Believe El Niño Means No Water Worries

October 26, 2023

He sees a wet weather pattern as an opportunity for California to conserve rainwater for use in the dry times that are sure to follow.

Woman fills pot with water from sink as child holds macaroni

‘A Ticking Time Bomb’ for California’s Water Systems

October 2, 2023

The state faces an urgent struggle to provide clean water, with more systems poised to fail because of higher testing standards, says UCLA Luskin's Gregory Pierce.

hands turn faucet to run water into a glass

Safety of Tap Water Discussed by Pierce on NPR Broadcast

September 13, 2023

Social factors like low population density, disability and race have a stronger influence than median household income on whether a community’s water supply is safe to drink.

road sign for electric vehicle charging station

UC Grant Will Fund EV Research by UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

September 6, 2023

Team led by a Fielding School professor gets nearly $2 million to pursue an equitable model for electrical vehicle charger placement.

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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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Graduate Programs
  • 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
  • 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
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
  • BA in Public Affairs
  • Minor in Urban and Regional Studies
  • Minor in Gerontology
  • Minor in Public Affairs
Professional Certificates
  • Data Analytics Certificate
  • Data Analytics Certificate
Admissions
Program Specific Admissions
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
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  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
  • Undergraduate Program
Faculty
Our Faculty
  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
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  • All Faculty
  • Public Policy
  • Real Estate Development
  • Social Welfare
  • Urban Planning
Leadership
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
  • Our Dean
  • Board of Advisors
  • Faculty Executive Committee
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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