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ABOUT INVESTING IN PLACE

Investing in Place explores how cities plan, fund, govern, and care for public space.

 

Based in Los Angeles, Investing in Place sits at the intersection of research, civic leadership, and public policy. We study the systems that shape sidewalks, streets, parks, transit access, accessibility, urban greening, and other public spaces that influence daily life.

 

Over the past decade, our work has expanded from transportation policy and mobility to a broader focus on public realm governance, stewardship, and quality of life. Along the way, we have conducted research, organized workshops and public convenings, partnered with community organizations, and brought together residents, practitioners, researchers, public agencies, and civic leaders to examine shared public space challenges and opportunities.

 

Through research, public engagement, civic leadership, and policy development, we research how cities make decisions, learn from other cities, and translate ideas into practical solutions that can improve quality of life in Los Angeles.

 

Our work is grounded in a simple belief: the way cities care for public space matters. It influences access and opportunity, but also the everyday experiences that help people feel connected to their family and friends, neighborhoods and communities.

How We Work:

RESEARCH: We study how cities plan, fund, maintain, and govern public infrastructure and public space. Our work combines policy analysis, infrastructure data, community experience, and comparative research to identify practical solutions for long-term stewardship of the public realm.

PUBLIC ENGAGMENT: We create opportunities for residents, practitioners, researchers, and civic leaders to share experiences, explore ideas, and participate in conversations about the future of public space through interviews, workshops, public discussions, and collaborative learning.

CIVIC LEADERSHIP: We convene community leaders, practitioners, researchers, public agencies, and elected officials to address shared public space challenges. Since 2015, Investing in Place has organized dozens of workshops, leadership forums, policy discussions, and cross-sector convenings focused on improving quality of life in Los Angeles.



POLICY DEVELOPMENT: We translate research and community experience into actionable recommendations that improve planning, funding, governance, and accountability for public infrastructure systems.

Interested in our history? Read our History & Milestones: A Decade of Building Better Public Spaces.


leadership

Jessica Meaney, Founder and Executive Director

jessica@investinginplace.org

 

Jessica Meaney is the founder and executive director of Investing in Place. An urban sociologist, researcher, and civic strategist, her work focuses on how cities plan, fund, maintain, and govern public infrastructure and public space.

 

Over the past two decades, Jessica has helped shape transportation and public realm policy across Los Angeles County, including active transportation funding, transportation equity initiatives, transit access improvements, public space governance reforms, and efforts to establish Los Angeles’ first comprehensive Capital Infrastructure Program.

 

Her current work explores how cities care for public space and what Los Angeles can learn from governance, stewardship, and public realm practices in other cities.

Support this Work

Your support helps strengthen the public spaces that connect people to opportunity, community, and everyday life.  Support this work →

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Estolano Advisors

Richard France

Richard France assists clients with strategic planning, visioning, and community and economic development. He is a strategic planner at Estolano Advisors, where he has been involved in a variety of active transportation, transit-oriented development, climate change resiliency, and equitable economic development projects. His work in active transportation includes coordinating a study to improve bike and pedestrian access to transit oriented districts for the County of Los Angeles, and working with the Southern California Association of Governments to host tactical urbanism events throughout the region. Richard also serves as a technical assistance provider for a number of California Climate Investment programs, including the Affordable Housing Sustainable Communities, Transformative Climate Communities, and Low Carbon Transit Operations programs. He has also taught at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. Richard received a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado at Boulder, and his M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA.

Accelerator for America, Milken Institute

Matt Horton

Matt Horton is the director of state policy and initiatives for Accelerator for America. He collaborates with government officials, impact investors, and community leaders to shape infrastructure, job creation, and equitable community development efforts. With over fifteen years of experience, Matt has directed research-driven programs and initiatives focusing on housing production, infrastructure finance, access to capital, job creation, and economic development strategies. Previously, he served as the director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, where he produced research and events to support innovative economic policy solutions. Matt also has experience at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), where he coordinated regional policy development and planning efforts. He holds an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University. Additionally, Matt serves as a Senior Advisor for the Milken Institute and is involved in various advisory boards, including Lift to Rise and WorkingNation.

UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies

Madeline Brozen

Madeline is the Deputy Director of the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies at the Luskin School of Public Affairs. She oversees and supports students, staff, and faculty who work on planning and policy issues about how people live, move, and work in the Southern California region. When not supporting the work of the Lewis Center community, Madeline is doing research on the transportation patterns and travel needs of vulnerable populations in LA. Her recent work includes studies of low-income older adults in Westlake, public transit safety among university students, and uncovering the transportation needs of women, and girls in partnership with Los Angeles public agencies. Outside of UCLA, Madeline serves as the vice-chair of the Metro Westside Service Council and enjoys spending time seeing Los Angeles on the bus, on foot, and by bike.

Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass

Luis Gutierrez

Luis Gutierrez, works in the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, as the Director of Energy & Water in the Office of Energy and Sustainability (MOES), Luis oversees issues related to LA’s transition to clean energy, water infrastructure, and serves as the primary liaison between the Mayor’s Office and the Department of Water and Power. Prior to joining MOES, Luis managed regulatory policy proceedings for Southern California Edison (SCE), focusing on issues related to equity and justice. Before joining SCE, Luis served as the Director of Policy and Research for Inclusive Action for the City, a community development organization dedicated to economic justice in Los Angeles. Luis holds a BA in Sociology and Spanish Literature from Wesleyan University, and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Cal State LA.

Communications Strategist

Kim Perez

Kim is a writer, researcher and communications strategist, focused on sustainability, urban resilience and safe streets. Her specialty is taking something complex and making it clear and compelling. Harvard-trained in sustainability, she won a prize for her original research related to urban resilience in heat waves—in which she proposed a method to help cities identify where pedestrians spend a dangerous amount of time in direct sun, so they can plan for more equitable access to shade across a city.

jessica@investinginplace.org

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Jessica Meaney

Jessica Meaney is the founder and executive director of Investing in Place.


She has spent more than two decades working across philanthropy, government, and nonprofit organizations in Los Angeles, focused on how cities care for public space. Jessica holds a BA from Prescott College and a master’s degree in urban sociology from California State University, Los Angeles.


Her background in urban sociology shapes how she understands infrastructure, not simply as physical assets, but as reflections of how cities allocate resources, set priorities, and shape daily life. She examines sidewalks, streets, and parks as interconnected civic systems influenced by governance, finance, and institutional design.


At Investing in Place, Jessica leads research, convenings, and long-term analysis of how Los Angeles manages its public realm. Her work increasingly explores how cities structure and sustain public space systems over time, contributing to broader conversations about public governance and the social life of infrastructure.