Zoning in
Zoning in
- July 29, 2025
- UC Irvine economics Ph.D. student Noah Kouchekinia wins two national grants to study housing policy
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For doctoral students working on their dissertations, time is one of the most valuable—and limited—resources. That’s what makes two recent national awards all the more meaningful for UC Irvine economics Ph.D. candidate Noah Kouchekinia.
This spring, Kouchekinia was selected for the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy Dissertation Grant and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s Dissertation Fellowship Program— two competitive awards that recognize the potential of research to inform public policy and support scholars in bringing that work to completion.
“These grants are a real vote of confidence in the work,” Kouchekinia says. “They also mean I’ll be able to carve out more time to focus on my research—and maybe even bring on more undergraduate research assistants to help with data collection.”
The grants come as he continues to work on an ambitious dissertation examining the impact of local housing policy on affordability, development, and equity.
When asked about the Horowitz Foundation grant, his Ph.D. advisor, Matthew Freedman, emphasized the broader importance of the work it supports.
“It is incredibly exciting that Noah received a prestigious Horowitz Foundation grant, which will support his timely and policy-relevant work on housing challenges facing California and the nation,” says Freedman, Dean’s Professor in the economics department. “That the foundation is supporting his research is testament to its critical importance for social policy.”
Investigating housing’s policy patchwork
Now entering his fifth year, Kouchekinia’s work dives into a widely used (and hotly debated) policy tool: inclusionary zoning ordinances. These local laws require developers to set aside a portion of new housing units at below-market rates in order to gain building approval.
“It’s a little controversial, because the impacts of the policy are debated, and there’s a lack of evidence grounded in multi-jurisdiction, longitudinal data,” he says. “It felt like an area where I could fill in a gap. California, where these policies have been implemented broadly, is a great place to study inclusionary zoning.”
With more than 500 general-purpose governments in California and a wide range of policy variations across them, Kouchekinia has compiled a unique dataset drawn from decades of public record documents that detail each locality’s approach to development.
“There’s a great variety to inclusionary zoning ordinances,” he says, “and if we don’t capture the full breadth of ordinances out there, we won’t be able to say what the effect of any one policy is.”
Kouchekinia’s analysis will explore not only whether these policies generate additional affordable housing, but also whether they might inadvertently discourage market-rate construction. The work reflects his ability to synthesize complex data and ask the right policy questions.
“Something that really stands out about Noah is the extent to which he immerses himself in institutional details,” says Freedman. “He has accumulated nearly encyclopedic knowledge of the complicated and labyrinthine patchwork of housing policies and programs across California, not to mention a deep understanding of many federal housing initiatives and other states’ policies.”
Just as important, says Freedman, is Kouchekinia’s ability to communicate those complexities with clarity.
“Also, Noah is gifted at translating nuanced economics and policy points into plain and understandable language that can meaningfully inform and enhance government and societal responses to contemporary housing challenges.”
How background and mentorship shaped a research agenda
“I grew up in the Bay Area, so housing affordability has been a hot topic as far back as I can remember. It felt like a natural thing to study. What else could one possibly look at?” Kouchekinia says, smiling.
Kouchekinia’s academic path took him across the country to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where supportive mentors nudged him toward research. After graduating with a double major in economics and political science, he returned to the Bay Area to work as a research associate at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, an experience that shaped not only his research skills but his outlook on what scholarship could achieve.
“There’s a strong culture there that research must serve policymakers,” he says. “You’re investigating questions that matter to people making important decisions—it has to have an immediate and direct link.”
That focus on real-world application helped draw him to UC Irvine, where the economics department has built a reputation for cutting-edge work.
“UCI is an excellent school to study urban economics,” he says. “There’s a real culture of engagement with housing and spatial policy questions here. Even researchers who don’t specialize in urban econ tend to have a side interest in it.”
That institutional strength has come with standout mentorship, too.
“I have a broad range of people I can go to for support,” he says. “Matt Freedman, especially, is an excellent role model—not just as a productive researcher with a strong sense of what’s policy relevant, but also in how he contributes to the field and supports his colleagues through service work.”
Working in service
One of the most rewarding phases of Kouchekinia’s dissertation so far involved leading a team of five undergraduate research assistants who helped extract policy data from housing documents.
“They really brought a breadth of experience to the table,” he says.
One had worked in local government. Another interned with a housing developer. One student became so interested in the dataset that they’re now using it for their own thesis.
“It was a wonderful experience to see students deepen their understanding of research and apply what they’ve learned at UCI,” he adds.
That kind of collaboration—rigorous, hands-on, and rooted in policy relevance—mirrors the kind of work Kouchekinia hopes to pursue long term. Whether as a faculty member, government researcher, or at a policy think tank, his goal is to stay connected to the real-world impact of economic research.
“I aspire to a research career in which I’m working in service of policymakers,” he says. “That’s the goal—research that’s useful, rigorous, and connected to the real decisions people are making.”
With the support of these two dissertation grants, Kouchekinia now has more of the one thing every researcher needs most: time—time to finish, time to mentor, and time to focus on the kind of work that can shape better policy.
—Jill Kato for UC Irvine School of Social Sciences
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