UCI Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy

Fall Welcome 2025!
What a great turnout today! Thank you to all the students, faculty, and staff who joined us to kick off the new year with energy, connection, and UPPP spirit.
A wonderful day celebrating community, new beginnings, and the exciting year ahead!

Thrilled to welcome Dr. T. William “Bill” Lester to the UPPP faculty! A social scientist and urban planner, Dr. Lester studies inequality at the metropolitan scale — from minimum and living wage laws to opportunity zones and community-led development. His research bridges policy and practice, always with a focus on building more inclusive cities. 🏙️✨ He’s also passionate about teaching and recently stepped into his first UCI classroom with 110 students in Urban Inequality. (Yes, he even tried a dad joke on day one. 😅) We’re thrilled to have him join our community at UC Irvine https://ow.ly/aMLQ50X5a8h

Meet the University of California, Irvine's new UCI Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy Assistant Professor Eli Knaap, who triangulates the three social sciences he was trained in — sociology, economics and geography — with computer science and public policy to try to "make a difference in cities.” https://ow.ly/iJG950X434Z

Exciting Research Opportunity at UC Irvine!

The UCI Labor Center is hiring a Research Director to lead impactful research on workers' rights and economic justice in Orange County and beyond.
Perfect for scholars interested in: ✅ Applied quantitative & qualitative research ✅ Policy analysis that creates real change ✅ Community-engaged scholarship ✅ Labor studies & social justice
Key details: Next review: September 22, 2025
This is a rare chance to bridge academic research with community impact, working directly with unions and worker organizations to build a more just economy and advance the struggle for more egalitarian cities.
Apply: https://recruit.ap.uci.edu/JPF09842
Questions? Feel free to reach out: [email protected]
Please share with anyone who might be interested!

Labor Center Research Director University of California, Irvine is hiring. Apply now!

The International Journal of Urban and Regional Research just published "‘Sanctuary of All' or 'Sanctuary for the Deserving': How Municipal Bureaucracies Mediate and Decide Contentious Struggles over Urban Citizenship" by University of California, Irvine Professor Walter Nicholls of the UCI Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy. tinyurl.com/WNinIJURR

Another amazing UPPP End of the Year Celebration in the books! Last week we came together to honor the outstanding achievements of our Urban Planning and Public Policy students. One of the highlights? The return of Peter the Anteater and a giant inflatable anteater, adding extra excitement and inspiration.

Reflecting on an incredible evening celebrating Professor Scott Bollens' retirement yesterday! As a distinguished figure in Urban Planning and Public Policy, Scott's expertise left an indelible mark. It was an honor to gather with colleagues and friends to commemorate his influence and toast to the remarkable journey ahead. Here's to Scott and the invaluable insights he's shared with us all!

Congratulations to Jeannine M. Pearce on their very first academic presentation as a PhD student at the International Urban Affairs Association! Pearce spoke about urban governance and various measures in Long Beach, California.

Congratulations to PhD student Stephanie Martinez for co-publishing 'When Mitigation is not 'just mitigation'' with Dr. Garrison! An exciting article that dives into the intersections of climate mitigation, adaptation, and justice.
To read more: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2024.105081

Delighted to share! Earlier this month, Dr. Avipsa Roy, Assistant Professor in Urban Planning & Public Policy, was invited as a guest lecturer to explore how Spatial Data Science impacts policymaking at IIT Kharagpur, Visva Bharati University, ISI Kolkata, and IISc Bengaluru.