Our Experts

Nicholas Marantz

  • GSRJDHarvard Law SchoolHarvard University2009
  • GSRPhD, Urban & Regional PlanningMassachusetts Institute of Technology2014
  • GSRJDHarvard Law SchoolHarvard University2009
  • GSRPhD, Urban & Regional PlanningMassachusetts Institute of Technology2014
  • Assistant ProfessorUrban Planning and Public PolicySchool of Social EcologyUC Irvine20142019
  • Assistant ProfessorSchool of LawUC Irvine20142019
  • Faculty AssociateITS-IrvineUC Irvine2018
  • Associate ProfessorUrban Planning and Public PolicySchool of Social EcologyUC Irvine2019
  • Associate ProfessorSchool of LawUC Irvine2019

Dr. Nicholas Marantz (PhD, MIT; JD, Harvard) conducts research addressing local governance and the regulation of the built environment, particularly as they relate to mobility and housing affordability. He also analyzes the impact of changes in environmental laws and institutions of local governance on planning practice and metropolitan development patterns, as well as the ways that non-lawyers (particularly urban planners) understand and use legal materials.

Record last updated: March 21, 2025.

Areas of Expertise

Travel Behavior, Land Use, & the Built Environment

Contact

Related Information

ITS Affiliations

Recent Projects

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Assessing the Potential for Densification and Reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled in Areas Without Rail

Complete | Jun 2022—Oct 2023

Research Team:

Jae Hong Kim (lead), Doug Houston, Nicholas Marantz, Alex Okashita, Maxwell Cabello

Department(s):

Urban Planning and Public Policy

Streamlining the CEQA Process in Transit Rich Areas

Complete | Jun 2022—Mar 2024

Research Team:

Nicholas Marantz (lead)

Department(s):

Urban Planning and Public Policy

SCC: Community-Centered Optimization of Infrastructure Upgrades and Policy Options for Shared Mobility and Connected Automated Vehicles

In Progress | Oct 2021—Sep 2026

Research Team:

Michael Hyland (lead), R. (Jay) Jayakrishnan, Wenlong Jin, Michael McNally, Stephen Ritchie, Craig Rindt, Younghun Bahk, Maxwell Cabello, Siwei Hu, Navjyoth Sarma, Dingtong Yang, Jiangbo (Gabe) Yu, Nicholas Marantz, Yifei (Carey) Wang, Sanmith Kurian, Yufan Yang, Taparia Kriti, Rezwana Rafiq

Department(s):

Civil and Environmental Engineering, Information and Computer Science, Urban Planning and Public Policy

Recent Research Products

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published journal article | Jun 2025

From state of the practice to state of the art: improving equity analysis in regional transportation plans
Transportation

published journal article | Mar 2025

Can governments streamline environmental impact analysis to promote transit-oriented development? Evidence from California
Journal of Transport and Land Use

presentation | Feb 2025

Multilayered governance and infill development: Mobilizing community associations to promote sustainable land use and transport

Publications

Note: Publications listed below are generally limited to those associated activity during Nicholas Marantz's affiliation with ITS-Irvine. The list may be incomplete. For a more comprehensive list, please visit their Google Scholar profile or consult other data sources in their Related Information.

Journal Articles

  1. Maxwell Cabello, Michael Hyland and Nicholas Marantz (2025) “From state of the practice to state of the art: improving equity analysis in regional transportation plans”, Transportation, 52(3), pp. 791–826. Available at: 10.1007/s11116-023-10439-4. [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Bailey Affolter, Jamey Volker, Nicholas Marantz, Susan Pike and Graham DeLeon (2025) “Can governments streamline environmental impact analysis to promote transit-oriented development? Evidence from California”, Journal of Transport and Land Use, 18(1), pp. 269–290. Available at: 10.5198/jtlu.2025.2606. [ITS-Irvine record]
  3. Nicholas J. Marantz and Jake Wegmann (2024) ““Missing” No More: Planners Should Harness Private Developers to Build Middle Housing”, Journal of the American Planning Association, pp. 1–7. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2024.2401372. [ITS-Irvine record]
  4. Huixin Zheng, Nicholas Marantz, Jae Hong Kim and John R. Hipp (2024) “Dissolving Districts: Did Property Values Fall When California Terminated Its Redevelopment Agencies?”, Economic Development Quarterly, 38(4), p. 08912424241271259. Available at: 10.1177/08912424241271259. [ITS-Irvine record]
  5. Shengxiang Jin, Huixin Zheng, Nicholas Marantz and Avipsa Roy (2024) “Understanding the effects of socioeconomic factors on housing price appreciation using explainable AI”, Applied Geography, 169, p. 103339. Available at: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103339. [ITS-Irvine record]
  6. Nicholas J. Marantz, Christopher S. Elmendorf and Youjin B. Kim (2024) “Overseeing Infill: How State Agencies Can More Effectively Monitor Local Land Use Administration”, Journal of the American Planning Association, 90(3), pp. 421–433. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2023.2255580. [ITS-Irvine record]
  7. Eric Biber, Christopher Elmendorf, Nicholas Marantz and Moira O'Neill (2024) “Just Look at the Map: Bounding Environmental Review of Housing Development in California”, Environmental Law, 54, p. 221. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/envlnw54&id=237&div=&collection=. [ITS-Irvine record]
  8. Nicholas J. Marantz, Christopher S. Elmendorf and Youjin B. Kim (2023) “Where Will Accessory Dwelling Units Sprout Up When a State Lets Them Grow? Evidence From California”, Cityscape, 25(2), pp. 107–118. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48736623 (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  9. Moira O'Neill, Eric Biber and Nicholas J. Marantz (2023) “Measuring Local Policy to Advance Fair Housing and Climate Goals through a Comprehensive Assessment of Land Use Entitlements”, Pepperdine Law Review, 50, p. 505. Available at: https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/pepplr50&id=521&div=&collection=. [ITS-Irvine record]
  10. Nicholas J. Marantz and Nicola Ulibarri (2022) “The Tensions of Transparency in Urban and Environmental Planning”, Journal of Planning Education and Research, 42(3), pp. 401–412. Available at: 10.1177/0739456X19827638. [ITS-Irvine record]
  11. Tyler A Scott, Nicholas Marantz and Nicola Ulibarri (2022) “Use of Boilerplate Language in Regulatory Documents: Evidence from Environmental Impact Statements”, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 32(3), pp. 576–590. Available at: 10.1093/jopart/muab048. [ITS-Irvine record]
  12. Nicholas J. Marantz and Paul G. Lewis (2022) “Jurisdictional Size and Residential Development: Are Large-Scale Local Governments More Receptive to Multifamily Housing?”, Urban Affairs Review, 58(3), pp. 732–766. Available at: 10.1177/1078087420988598. [ITS-Irvine record]
  13. Eric Biber, Giulia Gualco-Nelson, Nicholas Marantz and Moira O'Neill (2022) “Small Suburbs, Large Lots: How the Scale of Land-Use Regulation Affects Housing Affordability, Equity, and the Climate”, 2022(1). Available at: 10.26054/0D-XYPQ-VYNX. [ITS-Irvine record]
  14. Christopher S. Elmendorf, Nicholas Marantz and Paavo Monkkonen (2021) “A review of California’s process for determining, and accommodating, regional housing needs”, Background Paper Prepared for the California State Auditor in Rlation to the Audit Ordered by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on Oct. 11 [Preprint]. Available at: https://law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk10866/files/inline-files/RHNA-Audit-Background-Paper-2021.01.04.pdf (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  15. Alejandro E. Camacho and Nicholas J. Marantz (2020) “Beyond preemption, toward metropolitan governance”, Stanford Environmental Law Journal, 39, pp. 125–198. Available at: https://law.stanford.edu/publications/beyond-preemption-toward-metropolitan-governance/. [ITS-Irvine record]
  16. Nicholas J. Marantz (2020) “Promoting housing affordability by making cities smarter about land-use regulation”, Housing Policy Debate, pp. 1–4. Available at: 10.1080/10511482.2020.1777725. [ITS-Irvine record]
  17. Nicholas J. Marantz and Huixin Zheng (2020) “State affordable housing appeals systems and access to opportunity: Evidence from the northeastern united states”, Housing Policy Debate, 30(3), pp. 370–395. Available at: 10.1080/10511482.2020.1712612. [ITS-Irvine record]
  18. Paul G. Lewis and Nicholas J. Marantz (2020) “A response to comments on “What planners know: Using surveys about local land use regulation to understand housing development””, Journal of The American Planning Association, 86(2), pp. 270–271. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2020.1725257. [ITS-Irvine record]
  19. Paul G. Lewis and Nicholas J. Marantz (2019) “What planners know. Using Surveys About Local Land Use Regulation to Understand Housing Development”, Journal of The American Planning Association, 85(4), pp. 445–462. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2019.1643253. [ITS-Irvine record]
  20. Alejandro E. Camacho, Melissa L. Kelly, Nicholas J. Marantz and Gabriel Weil (2019) “Mitigating climate change through transportation and land use policy: Opportunities and challenges”, Environmental Law Reporter, 49(5), pp. 10473–10492. Available at: https://www.elr.info/articles/elr-articles/mitigating-climate-change-through-transportation-and-land-use-policy. [ITS-Irvine record]
  21. Nicholas J. Marantz and Huixin Zheng (2018) “Exclusionary zoning and the limits of judicial impact”, Journal of Planning Education and Research, pp. 0739456X1881492. Available at: 10.1177/0739456x18814924. [ITS-Irvine record]
  22. Nicholas J. Marantz (2018) “Drift and conversion in metropolitan governance: The rise of California's redevelopment agencies”, Journal of Urban Affairs, 40(7), pp. 901–922. Available at: 10.1080/07352166.2017.1421434. [ITS-Irvine record]
  23. Nicholas J. Marantz and Harya S. Dillon (2017) “Do state affordable housing appeals systems backfire? A natural experiment”, Housing Policy Debate, 28(2), pp. 267–284. Available at: 10.1080/10511482.2017.1362021. [ITS-Irvine record]
  24. Nicholas J. Marantz (2015) “What do community benefits agreements deliver? Evidence from Los Angeles”, Journal of The American Planning Association, 81(4), pp. 251–267. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2015.1092093. [ITS-Irvine record]
  25. Lynn M Fisher and Nicholas J Marantz (2014) “Can state law combat exclusionary zoning? Evidence from Massachusetts”, Urban Studies, 52(6), pp. 1071–1089. Available at: 10.1177/0042098014534906. [ITS-Irvine record]
  26. Nicholas J. Marantz (2012) “A review of “China's pan-pearl river delta; regional cooperation and development”. Anthony G. O. Yeh & Jiang Xu (Eds.). (2011). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. 320 pages. $35.00 (paperback).”, Journal of The American Planning Association, 78(1), pp. 111–112. Available at: 10.1080/01944363.2011.644209. [ITS-Irvine record]

Conference Papers

  1. Nicholas Marantz (2023) “Can State Law Open Homeowners Associations to Accessory Dwelling Units? Evidence from California”. 2023 APPAM Fall Research Conference, APPAM. Available at: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2023/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/48626 (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Nicholas Marantz and Leah Brooks (2022) “Land Use Regulation and Housing”, in 2022 APPAM Fall Research Conference. APPAM. Available at: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Session/16923 (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  3. Nicholas Marantz, Ingrid Gould Ellen, Betty Xiao Wang and Jenny Schuetz (2022) “Learning from Land Use Reforms”, in 2022 APPAM Fall Research Conference. APPAM. Available at: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2022/meetingapp.cgi/Session/16706 (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  4. Tyler Scott, Nicola Ulibarri and Nicholas Marantz (2020) “How Do Federal Agencies Address Policy Priorities in Regulatory Implementation? the Cases of Climate Change and Environmental Justice in NEPA Review”, in 2020 APPAM Fall Research Conference. APPAM. Available at: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2020/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/37723 (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  5. Alejandro Camacho, Robert Glicksman, Nicholas Marantz, Robert Verchick, Josh Galperin and Justin Pidot (2020) “The Role of Governance Structure in Promoting Effective and Adaptive Public Policy”, in 2020 APPAM Fall Research Conference. APPAM. Available at: https://appam.confex.com/appam/2020/meetingapp.cgi/Session/14836 (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]

Books and Book Chapters

  1. Nicholas J. Marantz (2023) “Chapter 1: The role of planning”. Available at: https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781803928203/book-part-9781803928203-8.xml (Accessed: October 23, 2024). [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Paul G. Lewis and Nicholas J. Marantz (2023) Regional governance and the politics of housing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Temple University Press. Available at: https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=D9muEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP6&dq=info:Z1luduJaGikJ:scholar.google.com&ots=1tFL4MJsid&sig=GCs4Ryn03dHObzsSvo6ZUVVP5w8 (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  3. Nicholas J. Marantz and Eran Ben-Joseph (2011) “The business of codes: Urban design regulation in an entrepreneurial society”, in S. Tiesdell and D. Adams (eds.) Urban design in the real estate development process. Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 114–136. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444341188.ch6. [ITS-Irvine record]

Technical Reports

  1. Jae Hong Kim, Jesus M. Barajas, Nicholas Marantz, Douglas Houston, Veronica Herrera, Alex Okashita and Maxwell Cabello (2024) Assessing the Potential for Densification and VMT Reduction in Areas without Rail Transit Access. Research Report. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g22v2dgj. [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Nicholas J. Marantz, Christopher S. Elmendorf and Youjin B. Kim (2023) Evaluating California’s accessory dwelling unit reforms: Preliminary evidence and lessons for state governments. NYU Furman Center. Available at: https://furmancenter.org/files/Evaluating_California%E2%80%99s_Accessory_Dwelling_Unit_Reforms_508.pdf (Accessed: August 21, 2025). [ITS-Irvine record]
  3. Nicholas J. Marantz, Douglas Houston, Jae Hong Kim, Narae Lee, Moira O’Neill, Eric Biber and Giulia Gualco-Nelson (2022) Factors Affecting Development Decisions and Construction Delay of Housing in Transit-Accessible and Jobs-Rich Areas in California. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2x39p8ds (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  4. Huixin Zheng, Nicholas J. Marantz, Jae Hong Kim and Doug Houston (2021) Accessibility, Affordability, and the Allocation of Housing Targets to California’s Local Governments. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7932w9xf (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  5. Jae Hong Kim, Nicholas J. Marantz and Nene Osutei (2020) The Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control: A Transportation Perspective. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24j5f0pc (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  6. Jae Hong Kim, Nicholas J. Marantz and Nene Osutei (2020) The Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control: A Transportation Perspective. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/24j5f0pc (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]

Policy Briefs

  1. Jesus M. Barajas, Douglas Houston, Jae Hong Kim, Nicholas Marantz, Veronica Herrera, Alex Okashita and Maxwell Cabello (2024) What Challenges Can Arise from Coordinating Housing Development with Transportation?. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g26m3568. [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Douglas Houston, Eric Biber, Giulia Gualco-Nelson, Jae Hong Kim, Moira O'Neill, Narae Lee and Nicholas Marantz (2022) What Can Be Done to Speed Up Building Approval for Multifamily Housing in Transit-Accessible Locations?. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g2tq5zvp. [ITS-Irvine record]
  3. Douglas Houston, Eric Biber, Giulia Gualco-Nelson, Jae Hong Kim, Moira O'Neill, Narae Lee and Nicholas Marantz (2022) What Can Be Done to Speed Up Building Approval for Multifamily Housing in Transit-Accessible Locations?. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g2tq5zvp. [ITS-Irvine record]
  4. Nicholas J. Marantz, Douglas Houston, Jae Hong Kim, Narae Lee, Moira O'Neill, Eric Biber and Giulia Gualco-Nelson (2022) What Can Be Done to Speed Up Building Approval for Multifamily Housing in Transit-Accessible Locations?. Policy Brief. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/95r277vj (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  5. Huixin Zheng, Nicholas J. Marantz, Doug Houston and Jae Hong Kim (2021) California Can Simplify the Housing Element Law to Reduce Administrative Burdens and Improve Social Equity. Policy Brief. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7p94n1cd (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  6. Douglas Houston, Huixin Zheng, Jae Hong Kim and Nicholas Marantz (2021) California Can Simplify the Housing Element Law to Reduce Administrative Burdens and Improve Social Equity. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g24f1p2k. [ITS-Irvine record]
  7. Jae Hong Kim, Nicholas J. Marantz and Nene Osutei (2020) Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control. Policy Brief. Available at: https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9fb2v2xz (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]
  8. Jae Hong Kim, Nene Osutei and Nicholas Marantz (2020) Understanding the Causes and Consequences of Local Growth Control. Policy Brief. UC ITS. Available at: https://doi.org/10.7922/g2ht2mmh. [ITS-Irvine record]

Presentations

  1. Jae Hong Kim, Nicholas Marantz, Idil Tanrisever (2025) Mobilizing community associations to promote sustainable land use and transport. Available at: . [ITS-Irvine record]
  2. Bailey Affolter, Jamey Volker, Susan Pike, Nicholas Marantz, Graham DeLeon (2024) The Case of California’s Senate Bill 375. Available at: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HuOxIt3CXt0psNdbbI-fY_0roLeM_8QO/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=105192721859545657412&rtpof=true&sd=true. [ITS-Irvine record]

Preprints

  1. Moira O'Neill, Eric Biber, Giulia Gualco-Nelson and Nicholas Marantz (2021) “Examining Entitlement in California to Inform Policy and Process: Advancing Social Equity in Housing Development Patterns”. Rochester, NY: SSRN. Available at: https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3956250 (Accessed: October 11, 2023). [ITS-Irvine record]

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