UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Ahead of the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles launches a program to expand shade across the city L.A. is partnering with colleges and nonprofits to launch ShadeLA, an initiative focused on tree planting, canopy design and urban heat resilience before the 2028 Games.

LA's scaling up shade ahead of the 2028 Olympics, and our Shade Map is helping guide where it’s needed most. Partnering w/ @dornsife.usc.edu, we’re working to turn shade deserts into cooler, healthier spaces.

@latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @weareshadela.bsky.social

Building resilient utilities: UCLA issues report on key water and power infrastructure needs | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Smart meters and undergrounding power lines are among promising innovations in addressing climate and fire risks.

Our big fire innovation report with LADWP and ~100 external experts, convened and synthesized by @luskininnovation.bsky.social, @uclasustainablela.bsky.social , @uclaioes.bsky.social and a much broader UCLA team of experts is out.

innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/2025/10/07/b...

Tomorrow (10/7)! Discover how 600+ SoCal drinking water systems stack up on safety, cost & access at our webinar and demo on #UCLA’s new Water Atlas.

Register: ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #UCLALuskin @gregspierce.bsky.social @edithdeguzman.bsky.social @laurendunlap.bsky.social @ucanr.edu

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

Our #UCLA grad students identified water system vulnerabilities after the Jan 2025 wildfires. Advised by @gregspierce.bsky.social & @edithdeguzman.bsky.social, they provided solutions in their capstone report, advancing water security as a human right.

luskin.ucla.edu/ucla-student... #UCLALuskin

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: How Does Your Drinking Water System Compare? A Webinar and Demo on UCLA’s New Water Atlas. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about jo... Discover how 663 Southern California’s water systems perform on water quality, affordability, and other important factors. Join us for a webinar on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, from 12:00-1:00 PM PT, i...

On Oct 7, from 12-1 PM PT, join us for a webinar about #UCLA’s Southern California Water Systems Atlas, a new tool analyzing over 600 drinking water systems. Learn how these systems perform on water quality, affordability, and more.

Register: ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

How to build a heat-resilient city Grist designed a model metropolis for an era of high temperatures, using the coolest technology available.

Cool pavements can help fight urban heat, but they’re not perfect. @vkturner.bsky.social tells @grist.org that while these materials reflect heat, they also increase radiant heat midday, calling for smart placement in areas busiest during cooler hours.
grist.org/project/citi... #UCLA #UCLALuskin

Across the US, cities combine art, shade and education to help people beat the heat Cities across the U.S. are combining art with shade to shield people from rising temperatures and educate them about our warming world.

@edithdeguzman.bsky.social’s research shows that shade can reduce up to 25% of heat-related deaths and reduce ER visits by up to 66% in LA. Her Roots of Cool art exhibit makes this data visible, highlighting who has shade and who doesn’t.

apnews.com/article/heat... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

We engage policymakers, communities, and nonprofit organizations to inform programs that advance urban greening equitably and sustainably, identifying and implementing viable solutions.

Learn more: innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/urban-greeni... #UCLALuskin #UCLA #ResearchPowersProgress

Water bills in L.A. County are rising faster than inflation, UCLA research shows UCLA researchers found that in Los Angeles County, average household water bills climbed 60% from 2015 to 2025, rising faster than inflation.

#UCLA’s new Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas shows water bills in LA rose nearly 60% from 2015-2025. The report & interactive map analyze over 600 systems providing an unmatched tool to track performance and target solutions.
@latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/... @ucanr.edu

Who manages your water in Southern California, and why it matters | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources A new UCLA Atlas reveals fragmented water governance has unequal impacts on affordability, quality, and resilience

Who manages your water in SoCal — and why it matters. A new Atlas from #UCANR & @luskininnovation.bsky.social reveals how fragmented water governance creates major gaps in quality, affordability & resilience.
https://ucanr.edu/blog/green-blog/article/uclaatlas

Water bills in L.A. County are rising faster than inflation, UCLA research shows UCLA researchers found that in Los Angeles County, average household water bills climbed 60% from 2015 to 2025, rising faster than inflation.

@gregspierce.bsky.social: "We have to invest more. But the money has to come from somewhere. And I guess right now we’re just saying, ‘It comes from you, local ratepayer, so you’re on your own.'" www.latimes.com/environment/... #CAwater @luskininnovation.bsky.social

How do SoCal’s Water Systems Compare? A Webinar and Demo on UCLA’s New Community Water Atlas for Six SoCal Counties | UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Join us for a webinar and live demonstration introducing UCLA’s newly launched 2025 Southern California Community Water Systems Atlas.

If you want to talk about @luskininnovation.bsky.social's new Water Atlas, join our webinar on October 7, from 12-1 PM.

You'll hear from me & @edithdeguzman.bsky.social, but also from Itzel Vasquez-Rodriguez, Michael Rincon & Max Gomberg.

Register ⬇️

innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/event/how-do...

USC wants to make an increasingly hot L.A. a little shadier by the 2028 Olympics It could prompt a huge quality of life improvement that lasts beyond the Olympics.

Shade is getting its moment in the sun.
Our research is helping drive ShadeLA, a push to cool the city ahead of 2028. With our national Shade Map, the team is pointing out LA’s shade deserts to help make public spaces safer.
www.timeout.com/los-angeles/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @weareshadela.bsky.social

It’s a Natural Resource We Don’t Think About Often. Public Health Depends On It More Than Ever. As extreme heat becomes deadlier, cities are rethinking trees, awnings, and shaded spaces as essential infrastructure.

#UCLA, @dornsife.usc.edu, and civic partners are helping power ShadeLA, a city-wide campaign to maintain and expand shade across LA ahead of 2028, using our national Shade Map.

Read about the effort in @slate.com: slate.com/business/202... #UCLALuskin @weareshadela.bsky.social

Proud to join @gregspierce.bsky.social & our research team in unleashing this new resource for SoCal communities after 1 ½ years of work! Water equity begins with knowing where your community is starting from and where it’s going. If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.

#UCLA engineers & @vkturner.bsky.social have pioneered an approach to make outdoor temperatures feel 10°F cooler by using transparent and infrared-reflective surfaces and hydronic panels, providing public shade and preserving safe and open spaces.

Read in MSN: bit.ly/3JY9LhW #UCLALuskin

Our 2025 SoCal Community Water Systems Atlas sheds light on disparities in drinking water quality, affordability, governance & climate resilience. See the report, map & dataset: bit.ly/3HU5Jqi @edithdeguzman.bsky.social @gregspierce.bsky.social @laurendunlap.bsky.social #UCLA #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

2025 Exhibitions

The first ½ of the run of the exhibit I co-curated combining science-inspired art with civic participation at beautiful @descansogardens.bsky.social has been off the charts. Only 5️⃣ weeks remain. See it before it's gone! @luskininnovation.bsky.social @ucanr.edu www.descansogardens.org/visit/sturt-...

UCLA: Student research drives water resilience and equitable solutions in post-fire Los Angeles From the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs: A team of UCLA master’s students in urban and regional planning (MURP) has produced an extensive report, “Drought and Climate Resiliency Solutions for Sm...

UCLA student research drives water resilience and equitable solutions in post-fire Los Angeles #cawater @luskininnovation.bsky.social mavensnotebook.com/2025/08/28/u...

LAHSA appoints temporary head of agency Today on AirTalk, a new appointee for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is under scrutiny; CECOT is a maximum security prison that is being used as a place to hold deportees by the Trump adm...

LA is fighting rising heat with shade – a vital tool to cool neighborhoods and protect residents. @edithdeguzman.bsky.social highlights how targeted shade and cooling strategies can improve health and equity on @laist.com's AirTalk.

Listen: laist.com/shows/airtal... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

Stand Up for UC The federal government’s demand of $1 billion from UCLA puts the entire University of California system at risk. Stand with us to protect UC.

Our research supports #UCLA's critical mission to create, disseminate, preserve and apply knowledge for the betterment of our global society. The federal government’s $1B demand threatens that.
#StandUpForUC to defend @uofcalifornia.bsky.social. www.universityofcalifornia.edu/get-involved...

How ‘$300 million just went poof’ Rhetoric and reality are almost entirely divorced in California’s interminable gas-price wars.

Our research is informing effective and equitable clean transportation. @gregspierce.bsky.social and #UCLA colleagues found that there are fewer EV chargers in disadvantaged communities, and they are more likely to break.

Read in @politico.com: www.politico.com/newsletters/... #UCLALuskin

Grace Harrison & I @luskininnovation.bsky.social are happy to be working with Khalid Osman of @stanforddoerr.bsky.social and team on an extension of our work under Rural Community Assistance Partnership's Environmental Finance Center.

sustainability-accelerator.stanford.edu/transforming...

Our original research advances environmental solutions to improve lives. Check out our current projects on the human right to water, community-driven climate action, heat equity, clean energy, & clean transportation. #ResearchPowersProgress innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/current-proj...

The energy source that could survive Trump's attack on California's green ambitions The Avina project in Vernon will be one of the largest hydrogen production and dispensing facilities in the country when it opens this fall.

Green hydrogen may shape CA’s energy future, with important ramifications for the state’s water footprint. A report by @gregspierce.bsky.social & @laurendunlap.bsky.social calls for transparency about how much water hydrogen production requires and where it'll come from.
@latimes.com: bit.ly/47au5WR

LADWP is transitioning to clean energy. Our report shares insights & bold recommendations for an equitable implementation, including defining equity goals and establishing a new community advisory board.
Read more: innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/publication/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin #ResearchPowersProgress

Rising heat is impacting student health and learning in LA. @edithdeguzman.bsky.social sheds light on how indoor heat affects vulnerable students, and urges stronger cooling protections to ensure safe learning environments.
@latimes.com: www.latimes.com/environment/... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

As LA heat rises, calls for cooling protections are growing. “Extreme indoor heat isn’t just a climate issue  – it’s a public health issue,” @edithdeguzman.bsky.social warns, helping SAJE spotlight the risks faced by tenants.

Read: www.newsbreak.com/knx-1070-new... #UCLA #UCLALuskin @ucanr.edu

LADWP is planning for an equitable transition to renewable energy. Our new report shares on-the-ground insights and bold recommendations, including defining equity goals and establishing a new community advisory board.
Read more: innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/wp-content/u... #UCLA #UCLALuskin

Join @gregspierce.bsky.social as he presents on utility-led innovations addressing water affordability challenges in an upcoming webcast on August 21, hosted by The Water Research Foundation, alongside leading experts in the field. More info: event.webcasts.com/starthere.js...
#UCLA #UCLALuskin