Our mission

to build a better, more equitable california

Pacific Urbanism is a community-serving enterprise that specializes in policy research and evaluation, data modeling, and community building. Our mission is to serve as a resource to communities throughout California for the creation of data-driven and multidisciplinary planning support tools. We strive for environmental justice, public health, safety, and welfare of all peoples.

With a focus on residential communities with rapidly changing landscapes, primarily in Los Angeles, we use a combination of city planning research and architectural design to drive the creation and/or restoration of opportunities and rights to often displaced and disenfranchised communities.

Explore some of our research and case studies to learn more about how we’re building a better, more equitable, California.

Dario Alvarez, AIA
President, Pacific Urbanism

CAREERS

PROJECT ARCHITECT / PLANNER

Pacific Urbanism is seeking talented, licensed architect-planners with 3+ years of relevant professional experience in zoning and land use planning, site and code analysis, area programming, 3D modeling, specifications, urban infill and adaptive reuse, interiors and landscape design, entitlements and permit approvals, and all phases of project delivery.

APPLICATION

ASPIRING ARCHITECT / URBAN DESIGNER

Pacific Urbanism is seeking talented, entry and mid-level aspiring architects/ urban designers with professional experience or recent academic coursework in code compliant design, drafting, 3D modeling, urban infill and adaptive reuse, interior design, landscape design, and/or design competition presentations.

APPLICATION

**Los Angeles, CA**
While most of our work occurs in the City of Los Angeles, the fruits of our experiences and efforts provide us with the tools to support and effectuate change across all communities

Fellows

Rudi Mattheis-Brown

Rudi Mattheis-Brown is a registered architect in the state of Colorado who served as Project Manager and, later, Studio Director at Pacific Urbanism from 2017-2024. During his time at Pacific Urbanism, Rudi oversaw architectural and urban design projects as well as geospatial and statistical analysis studies within the context of the housing and homelessness crisis in Los Angeles.

Hannah Fong

Hannah Fong is a Master of Urban Planning from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs class of 2017. During her time at Pacific Urbanism, Hannah conducted research on change in population growth, median household income, housing unit stock, commuter trends, and other US Census Bureau data for close to 100 neighborhood council areas in Los Angeles. Hannah is currently a planner at the City of Boston’s Transportation Department.

Renae Zelmar

Renae Zelmar is a dual Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and Master in Latin American Studies from the UCLA International Institute. While at Pacific Urbanism, Renae evaluated the efficacy of Transit Oriented Communities in Los Angeles to provide adequate housing, inventoried the amount and location of affordable housing units in Los Angeles, and other related topics. Renae is currently employed at the City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning and is instrumental in the Re:Code LA efforts

Our Team

Since its founding in 2014, Pacific Urbanism has been a growing community of passionate creatives, from planners and analysts to urban designers, builders, and change-makers. We, and the broader communities that we serve, share a desire to build healthier and more fair environments.

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president

Dario alvarez

REGIONAL MANAGER

TRAVIS BRUCE

PROJECT MANAGER

LUIS DE LA ROSA

Fellowship Program

The goal of the Pacific Urbanism Fellowship program is to support graduate students who are committed to the discovery and application of knowledge about planning and policy challenges associated with the current housing crisis in California and to the creation of a healthier, more equitable, and resilient urban environment.

The 2024 Fellow shall perform duties of Spatial (GIS) Analysis and Scholarly Writing Assistant in the context of planning policy decisions. Applicants must be both detail oriented and creative individuals who are able to manage, analyze, and visualize datasets of a range of demographic and built environment variables. Excellent writing and communication skills are required. The 2024 Fellowship is a hybrid remote and on-site position, and requires access to personal hardware and software.

application