The Urban Displacement Project is a research and action initiative of UC Berkeley in collaboration with community-based organizations and researchers at the UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and at other universities. UDP conducts community-centered, data-driven, applied research toward more equitable and inclusive futures for cities. Our research aims to understand and describe the nature of gentrification and displacement, and also to generate knowledge on how policy interventions and investment can respond and support more equitable development. The UCLA map rooms are made possible through a grant from the mapping platform, Carto.

COVID-19 Equity Research Initiative initially started as a pro bono effort in response to the pandemic crisis. The Initiative’s early efforts have empirically and quantitatively examined the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 on people and neighborhoods. Newer efforts focus on research to inform a just recovery. The analyses are anchored in our conceptual and theoretical model of the web of institutionalized inequality. The Initiative explicitly focuses on systematic and systemic racial and class inequalities. The goal is to develop insights that will be used to develop a just and fair recovery. The research draws on multiple data sources (census, surveys, administrative records, “big data”, etc.). One of the Initiative’s objectives is to produce timely research briefs, publicly accessible data, and mapping tools, to inform public discussion on critical policy issues.
Community Initiated Research Initiative focuses on community-identified research topics that facilitate innovative and relevant research in Los Angeles and beyond. Community-based organizations interested in developing evidence-based applied projects for social change are encouraged to contact our team members directly. Past examples include neighborhood needs assessments in Wilmington; documenting gentrification in Thai Town; and developing displacement avoidance strategies with Pacoima Beautiful for the Northeast San Fernando Valley, and the anti-Asian racism resource hub, MovementHub.org. For 2020-2021, we are providing research technical assistance to a variety of organizations in California through generous support from the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative as part of our COVID-19 Equity Research Initiative. Visit our publications page for more examples of this work.
Clean Transportation Access & Health. As California works to address climate change and the conditions of poor health, data on the health impacts of transportation access can help policymakers and planners make more informed, equitable, and sustainable decisions. CNK received funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop a screening method and map for evaluating transportation access disparities and other built-environment-related social determinants of health. CNK has also partnered with Cal-IHEA and community health advocates to develop a training series to make the CARB-funded database more accessible and user-friendly.
May 10, 2021 update: A prototype of the mapping tool and user guide is now available. Learn more here.

Spatial-Transportation Mismatch and Pre-School Enrollment Disparities, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This project examines how the lack of geographic access and transportation resources are barriers to enrolling young children in early education in California.

Mobility, Accessibility and Disadvantaged Neighborhoods, funded by the Pacific Southwest Region 9 University Transportation Center. This project examines and compares transportation and spatial barriers to employment, elementary education, and health opportunities encountered by residents in disadvantaged neighborhoods in Los Angeles County and San Joaquin County. The study provides insights into the systematic differences between advantaged and disadvantaged neighborhoods, and between urban and rural neighborhoods.

Assessing Technical and Analytical Capability and Capacity to Incorporate Racially Equity, funded by UC Institute of Transportation Studies. This project focuses on identifying potential actions to enhance the capability and capacity of state transportation departments to integrate race and inequality into their technical and analytical practices. The project reviews relevant documents and interviews key staff members in state-level transportation departments in California, Washington, Texas, and Illinois.