What we do

cityLAB, founded in 2006, is a multidisciplinary center in UCLA's Architecture and Urban Design Department focused on leveraging design for spatial justice and to address contemporary urban concerns. Specifically, cityLAB explores the challenges facing the 21st century metropolis, expanding the possibilities for our cities to grow more equitably, livably, sustainably, and beautifully, with affordable housing at the center of its efforts. cityLAB's investigations comprise rigorous scholarship as well as practical implication, design and theory, and formal exploration of cultural and political consequence. The lab initiates its own projects related to four core initiatives: spatial justice, the postsuburban metropolis, rethinking green, and new infrastructures.

Located in Los Angeles, cityLAB's efforts extend far beyond that region. cityLAB has received wide notoriety: it has been featured in Newsweek and CNN-International, along with numerous professional publications; its core members are invited to teach and lecture internationally; cityLAB was selected to participate as a new form of practice at the Venice Architectural Biennale in 2010; and in 2016, cityLAB co-authored state accessory dwelling unit policy that changed the face of California suburbs (AB 2299). cityLAB’s founder, Dr. Dana Cuff, is the recipient of numerous awards and a prolific author, all grounded in the lab’s research and teamwork including her most recent book, Architectures of Spatial Justice (MIT Press, 2023).

cityLAB was originally launched with the generous support of Sarah Jane Lind, and continues to be sustained by the support of Cindy Miscikowski. These two women have been our brain trust as well as our philanthropic foundation.

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