UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

What UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies does

The UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies is a university research center housed within the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs in Los Angeles, California, focused on regional policy issues affecting Greater Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on housing affordability and transportation equity. Founded in 1988 and operating with a small team of approximately 19 employees, the center conducts policy research through qualitative interviews, quantitative data analysis, housing feasibility studies, and transit policy evaluation. Its work addresses how housing and transportation intersect to shape quality of life for residents across the region, including issues of homelessness, housing supply, transit access, and regional equity.

The center delivers its research through six named programs: the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative, Transit Oriented Los Angeles (TOLA), Access to Opportunities, Public Space, LA Data, and the Student Research Program. Its flagship media property is the Housing Voice podcast (75+ episodes), distributed across Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, CastBox, Podfriend, and RSS, which features academic guests and policy practitioners discussing housing policy and homelessness research. Research outputs include peer-reviewed journal articles, policy briefs, and reports, made freely available through UCLA's eScholarship repository and the center's website (lewis.ucla.edu), with a 10,000+ subscriber mailing list supporting dissemination.

The center is funded through institutional research grants, UCLA Luskin School resources, and donor contributions routed via UCLA's giving platform; it explicitly does not sell products or services and offers all publications at no cost. Its beneficiaries include Los Angeles-area policymakers, urban planners, academic researchers, and low-income residents of Greater Los Angeles. Active research partners include the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Programs Office, UCLA's California Policy Lab, Our Future Los Angeles (OFLA), and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

Name

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Legal name

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Website

https://lewis.ucla.edu

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies is a university research center within UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs conducting policy research on housing affordability and transportation equity in the Greater Los Angeles region. It serves policymakers, urban planners, researchers, and local communities through peer-reviewed publications, the Housing Voice podcast, and data programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Housing affordability research
• Transportation equity research
• Urban planning research
• Regional policy studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Grants and Institutional Funding: As a university research center housed at UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, the center operates primarily through institutional research grants and university funding. The center also accepts donations through UCLA's giving platform for specific initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Lewis Center is a university research center that conducts evidence-based policy research on housing affordability and transportation equity in the Greater Los Angeles region. Its deliverables include peer-reviewed journal articles, policy briefs, research reports, the Housing Voice podcast series, and the LA Data program. All research outputs and resources are made available publicly at no cost to policymakers, researchers, urban planners, and community stakeholders.

Product overview

The UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies is a university research center that produces publications, research reports, and the Housing Voice Podcast. The center operates multiple research programs including the Randall Lewis Housing Initiative, Transit Oriented Los Angeles (TOLA), Access to Opportunities, Public Space, Student Research, and LA Data. These programs collectively focus on addressing housing affordability and transportation equity in the Greater Los Angeles region. The center does not offer commercial products or software services; its offerings consist of academic research, policy analysis, podcasts, and student research support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Housing Voice Podcast: A podcast produced by the UCLA Lewis Center focusing on housing policy and homelessness research

Products and services

• Housing Voice Podcast A podcast series covering housing policy, homelessness research, and regional planning topics with academic guests and policy discussions, distributed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Castro, CastBox, Podfriend, and via RSS. Aimed at policy makers, urban planners, researchers, and the general public.
• Randall Lewis Housing Initiative A housing-focused research initiative within the Lewis Center that studies and addresses housing affordability challenges in the Greater Los Angeles area, producing research outputs and policy recommendations. Aimed at policymakers, urban planners, researchers, and community stakeholders.
• Transit Oriented Los Angeles (TOLA) A research program focused on transportation equity and transit-oriented development in the Los Angeles region, producing research and policy recommendations. Aimed at policymakers, urban planners, and transit agencies.
• Access to Opportunities Program A research program studying and improving access to opportunities (employment, education, services) in the Los Angeles region through policy research. Aimed at policymakers, urban planners, and community stakeholders.
• LA Data Program A program within the Lewis Center providing data collection and analysis resources on Los Angeles regional housing and transportation issues. Aimed at researchers, urban planners, and policymakers needing regional data.
• Public Space Program A research program studying public spaces and their role in regional policy and community development in Greater Los Angeles. Aimed at urban planners, policymakers, and community stakeholders.
• Student Research Program A program supporting student-led research initiatives on regional policy topics including housing affordability and transportation equity. Aimed at UCLA undergraduate and graduate students.
• Research Publications (Peer-Reviewed Articles, Briefs, and Reports) Peer-reviewed journal articles, research briefs, and policy reports covering housing affordability, transportation equity, homelessness, and regional planning topics in Greater Los Angeles. Made available publicly at no cost via the Lewis Center website and UCLA's eScholarship repository. Aimed at policymakers, urban planners, academic researchers, and the general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 75+ episodes of Housing Voice podcast on housing and homelessness research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UCLA Luskin School of Public AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lewis Center is housed within the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, operating as an integral part of the school's research infrastructure. This institutional relationship provides access to faculty, graduate students, and academic resources.
• UCLA Departments and ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with various UCLA departments including Urban Planning, Public Policy, Social Welfare, and the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment for interdisciplinary research.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Homeless Programs OfficeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Housing Voice podcast features interviews with VA Homeless Programs Office staff, discussing veteran homelessness research and policy implementation strategies.
• California Policy LabminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research on homelessness with UCLA's California Policy Lab, including joint episodes on the Housing Voice podcast and shared research on homelessness prevention.
• Our Future Los Angeles (OFLA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe center conducts policy research and feasibility analysis for OFLA proposals, including upzoning initiatives for California high-resource single-family neighborhoods.
• Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBSF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration examining mortgage lending patterns and racial equity implications in the FHLBSF cooperative region covering California, Arizona, and Nevada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Urban Institute: A leading national economic and social policy research organization that conducts housing, transportation, and equity research. Comparable as a large policy research institution studying urban issues including housing affordability and regional equity, but with national rather than regional scope.
• Manhattan Institute for Policy Research: A national urban policy think tank producing research on housing supply, zoning reform, and transportation. Comparable as a policy research institution working on overlapping themes of housing affordability and transportation equity, though national rather than LA-focused.
• RAND Corporation: Major Santa Monica-based policy research institution producing work across housing, transportation, and urban policy. Comparable as a larger, established research entity operating in the LA region on overlapping themes, but with much broader national and international scope.
• Brookings Institution: A major DC-based public policy think tank producing research across housing affordability, urban economics, and transportation. Comparable as a high-credibility policy research outlet that publishes influential briefs and engages directly with federal and state policymakers.

Direct peers

• California Policy Lab: A UC-wide research lab producing rapid-turnaround data analysis on homelessness, housing, and criminal justice for California policymakers. Directly comparable as an academic policy research partner that produces actionable research for state and local officials, and is already a Lewis Center collaborator.
• Terner Center for Housing Innovation: UC Berkeley-based housing policy research center focused on California's housing affordability and supply challenges. Directly comparable as a university-affiliated research hub producing peer-reviewed research, policy briefs, and data-driven analysis on the same housing affordability themes as the Lewis Center.
• USC Sol Price School of Public Policy: USC's policy school running multiple urban research centers in Los Angeles focused on housing, transit, and governance. Comparable as a university-based urban policy research ecosystem operating in the same LA geography and engaging the same policymaker audience.
• UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge: A sister research center within UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs that studies neighborhood-level conditions, equity, and access in Los Angeles. Directly comparable in mission (regional equity research), institutional affiliation, and methodology (data-driven urban policy analysis).

Others

• Abode Communities: A major Los Angeles-based affordable housing developer and policy practitioner. Comparable as a regional stakeholder in the LA affordable housing ecosystem whose practical work the Lewis Center's research directly informs, though it is an operator rather than a research entity.

Emerging players

• National Low Income Housing Coalition: A national advocacy and research organization dedicated to affordable housing policy. Comparable as a mission-aligned organization focused on housing affordability research, though its work is advocacy-oriented and national in scope rather than academically published and regionally focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubepodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ucla-housing-voice/id1565240355
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uclalewiscenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies