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Economic Inclusion and Climate Equity

By the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, UCLA Department of Urban Planning, Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy and Green for All

January 2012

Please note: reports dated earlier than June 2020 were published under our previous names: the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) or the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII).

What are the key ingredients in building a thriving, green manufacturing supply chain in the Los Angeles region? In “Towards a Roadmap to Green Manufacturing in Los Angeles: A Preliminary Assessment,” we envision what it would take to transform Los Angeles into a manufacturing hub of suppliers for a new generation of transit and alternative fuel vehicles. Using a mixed methods approach that combines field survey data with a quantitative analysis of firm and employee characteristics, the report offers a typology of manufacturing suppliers and three key findings:

1. There is not a well-organized, transportation-related supply chain in Los Angeles.

2. Large-scale, sustained demand is needed in order to grow and better organize such a supply chain.

3. The greatest potential for a regional manufacturing strategy lies in targeting larger, well-established firms (primarily in aerospace and electronics industries) who remain competitive by serving niche product markets.

“Towards a Roadmap” offers a preliminary framework for defining a roadmap for the region that points towards demand-side drivers (policy and procurement interventions) and other industry / supply chain strategies, including financing, intellectual property, land use, workforce development, technical standardization, and new forms of organization. Although green manufacturing jobs are not a silver bullet, a retooled, transit-related manufacturing base should and could be part of an equation towards greater equity, climate justice, and economic growth in Los Angeles.

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Read our other publications by research area

    Immigrant Integration & Racial Justice

    Our work on immigrant integration and racial justice brings together three emphases: scholarship that draws on academic theory and rigorous research, data that provides information structured to highlight the process of immigrant integration over time, and engagement that seeks to create new dialogues with government, community organizers, business and civic leaders, immigrants and the voting public to advance immigrant integration and racial equity.

    Economic Inclusion & Climate Equity

    In the area of economic inclusion, we at ERI advance academic theory and practical applications linking economic growth, environmental quality, and civic health with bridging of racial and other gaps; produce accessible and actionable data and analysis through the data tools; and establish research partnerships to deepen and advance the dialogue, planning, and actions around racial equity, environmental justice, and the built environment.

    Social Movements & Governing Power

    ERI’s work in the area of governing power includes: conducting cross-disciplinary studies of today’s social movements, supporting learning and strategizing efforts to advance dialogues among organizers, funders, intermediaries, evaluators, and academics, and developing research-based social change frameworks and tools to inform—and be informed by—real-world, real-time efforts towards a vision of deep change.

    Publications Directory

    In 2020, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) merged to form the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI).

    The full list of publications published under our previous and current names can be found in our publications directory.

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