Publications
The briefs and reports below provide a sample of recent research by Lewis Center faculty, affiliated scholars, staff, and students, produced internally or by our partner centers and other universities. Learn more about support for students and the Graduate Student Fellows program to fund students conducting capstone research.
Note: Briefs and reports are often adapted from or into published books and articles in academic journals, which are not listed here.
| Title | Author(s) | Year |
|---|---|---|
ReportHousing Abundance in California: A Starter Home for the 21st CenturyThis policy brief describes the causes of housing scarcity in California and posits two paths towards abundance – incremental and comprehensive. |
Paavo Monkkonen | 2026 |
BriefEvacuation Challenges During the Palisades Fire: Initial InsightsWe surveyed evacuees from the Palisades Fire to examine evacuation decisions, experiences, housing outcomes, and future plans. |
Hao Ding, Evelyn Blumenberg | 2026 |
BriefEvacuation Challenges During the Eaton Fire: Initial InsightsWe surveyed evacuees from the Eaton Fire to examine evacuation decisions, experiences, housing outcomes, and future plans. |
Hao Ding, Evelyn Blumenberg | 2026 |
ReportCracking The Code: Reclaiming Building Standards for Public InterestBuilding codes contain complex tradeoffs between safety, affordability, livability, and sustainability that are inherently political. To realign codes with the public interest, reform is needed to reassert democratic oversight and transparency. |
Jesse Zwick | 2026 |
ReportThe Impact of Residential Mobility on Segregation in CaliforniaThis report analyzes how residential mobility contributes to enduring patterns of residential segregation and unequal access to opportunity-rich neighborhoods. |
Michael Lens, Paavo Monkkonen, Gregory Preston, Dan Rinzler, Matt Alvarez-Nissen, Ann Owens, Katherine Chen | 2025 |
ReportBuilding Renter Wealth: An Evaluation of Shared Prosperity Rental (SPR) Housing Program Design and FeasibilityExploring the feasibility of shared prosperity rental housing, a model blending renter flexibility with homeownership-style wealth building to benefit targeted populations. |
Shane Phillips | 2025 |
ReportA Path Forward for Transit Rider Experience and Safety: Lessons from the LA Metro Ambassador Pilot ProgramThis research examines Metro’s transit ambassador program, which began as a pilot in 2022 and is moving in-house in 2025 as a permanent program. |
Jacob Wasserman, Madeline Brozen, Adonia Lugo, Phoebe Chiu, Arman Koohian | 2025 |
BriefThe LA Metro Transit Ambassador Pilot Program Shows Promise in Improving Customer Experience and Safety on TransitTransit agencies across the country are rethinking how to improve the customer service and safety experience for riders through transit ambassadors. |
Jacob Wasserman, Madeline Brozen, Adonia Lugo, Phoebe Chiu, Arman Koohian | 2025 |
ReportSocial Housing in France: Lessons for California and BeyondA detailed description of the French social housing system as a reference point for governments that seek to create their own, with a discussion of financing, landlord–developers, rent setting, residents, and recent reforms. |
Paavo Monkkonen | 2025 |
Journal ArticleThe promise of Universal Basic MobilityResearchers find that UBM has the potential to avoid the shortcomings of previous transportation policy efforts – in the U.S. and elsewhere – and to significantly improve transportation outcomes for those most in need. |
Madeline Wander, Evelyn Blumenberg, Madeline Brozen, tamika l. butler | 2025 |
