California Center for Sustainable Communities
The California Center for Sustainable Communities is a research center at University of California, Los Angeles that works to advance equitable and sustainable solutions for California’s cities and communities. Our interdisciplinary team conducts research on water, energy, and urban infrastructure, working directly with policymakers, community organizations, and government agencies. We develop data-driven tools and strategies that inform decision-making at the local and state levels. Our work bridges technical expertise and community knowledge to support environmental justice and meaningful policy change across California.
Explore our recent publications
Explore our recent projects
The LA Residential Energy Transition Tool—your next energy bill reimagined for electrified futures
Explore how renewable energy transitions and home electrification will shape household energy spending and burden across Los Angeles from 2025 to 2045…
Zero-Emission Equipment Retrofits in Existing Non-Residential and Commercial Buildings Study
What are retrofit needs for installing zero-emission equipment in existing commercial buildings? We will host focus groups with professionals who have worked on real-world projects involving zero-emission equipment installation…
Estimating the Energy Impacts of Rebuilding after the Palisades and Eaton Fires
As communities look toward recovering from the Palisades and Eaton Fires, there is growing recognition that simply restoring the legacy energy systems may not be the safest or most sustainable path forward…
California Public Utilities Commission Distributed Energy Resource Program Data Working Group
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) selected the California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA, with support from LARC, to facilitate a Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Data Working Group…
Fostering Community Solar: A Student-Led Collaborative between UCLA and EIA
Funded by an award from the 100K CLIMA Grant Competition, UCLA and EIA University are collaborating on a student-led comparative case study of community solar projects in Los Angeles, CA and Medellin, Colombia…
Mindful Gas Decommissioning
California’s goal of decarbonizing the state’s energy sector by 2045 requires an accompanying strategic approach to the decommissioning of the extensive gas infrastructure…