The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Office of Research and Creative Activities has named professor Ananya Roy, a scholar of urban planning, social welfare, and geography as one of the six recipients of the 2024 Public Impact Research Awards.
Roy, recognized for her significant contributions to addressing housing inequality in Los Angeles and beyond, serves as the founding director of the UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy. She has led numerous initiatives aimed at combating systemic housing issues, with the Tenant Power Toolkit being among her most impactful projects.
This online eviction-defense application, developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, has empowered over 21,000 tenants, including a substantial number of children, to defend against eviction proceedings and remain in their homes.
"Eviction is a systemic problem," Roy stated, emphasizing the critical need for tools like the Tenant Power Toolkit. The program, developed in collaboration with housing justice lawyers, technologists, and community partners, enables tenants to navigate California’s complex regulatory environment with ease. Since its launch in July 2022, the toolkit has prepared over 8,000 eviction defenses across the state.
Roger Wakimoto, UCLA’s vice chancellor for research and creative activities, highlighted the importance of recognizing faculty whose work has a tangible impact on communities. "The Public Impact Awards are a testament to UCLA’s commitment to research that has a positive public impact," Wakimoto said.
Born in Calcutta, India, in 1970, Ananya Roy is a distinguished scholar of international development and global urbanism. She holds the Meyer and Renee Luskin Chair in Inequality and Democracy at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Before joining UCLA, she was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, where she held the Chair in Global Poverty and Practice.
Roy earned her Bachelor’s degree in comparative urban studies from Mills College and both a Master of City Planning and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley.
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