The Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College is an applied research and advocacy center.

Our mission is to advance community-driven programs and policies to build healthy, thriving communities while achieving social, economic and environmental justice.

Check out UEPI's latest publications and updates below!

Moving Forward Network

For nearly a decade, Moving Forward Network members have been collectively campaigning to end the ever-expanding toxic impacts of the freight sector in their communities. On Nov. 15th, 2021, we launched a new Network priority campaign demanding that the Environmental Protection Agency, along with all other governmental departments and decision makers, need to:
  • Prioritize environmental justice across the freight sector
  • Commit to eliminating pollution across the freight sector
  • Take actionable measures to protect communities most burdened by the effects of an expanding freight sector and deadly diesel emissions

Find more information and learn how to get involved!

Pasadena’s Tale of Two Cities: 2019

Authored by Peter Dreier and Mark Maier. Download the report

Working for the Mouse: A Survey of Disneyland Resort Employees

A report by researchers at the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute, Occidental College and the Economic Roundtable finds that Disneyland employees in Anaheim, Calif. are paid so little, one in ten employees has experienced homelessness recently and two-thirds of park workers don’t have enough food to eat three meals a day. Download the report