City of Los Angeles -
Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayor’s Challenge

overview

The Mayor’s Challenge, launched by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a competition that gives cities around the world the opportunity to launch innovative and high-impact projects that address their most pressing challenges. In November 2018, the City of Los Angeles won $1 million from the Mayor’s Challenge to implement the LA ADU Accelerator Program, a new program that would provide financial and operational incentives to homeowners to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in exchange for providing ADU housing to seniors experiencing homelessness.

process

I served as a research fellow for the Mayor’s Innovation Team, the team leading the application for the Mayor’s Challenge. To create a competitive application for the grant funding, the Innovation Team collaborated with other Mayor’s Office teams (Office of Economic Opportunity, Office of Economic Development) and City departments (Department of Building Services, Department of City Planning). During the program application process, I contributed in the following ways:

• Collaborated with City departments, Mayor’s Office teams, and representatives of frog and Bloomberg Philanthropies to conceptualize program details

• Conducted qualitative user research (surveys, focus groups, interviews), community engagement sessions, and canvassing with people experiencing homelessness, homeowners, and community members

• Researched affordable housing regulations and programs in Los Angeles and ADU best practices in peer cities

• Created design materials for presentations and community engagement sessions

result

The LA ADU Accelerator Program launched in spring 2019 and is currently active.