Álvaro Huerta

Álvaro Huerta is a Professor in Urban & Regional Planning and Ethnic & Women's Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona's College of Environmental Design. He teaches and conducts research at the intersection of community and economic development, Chicana/o and Latina/o studies, immigration and Mexican diaspora, social movements, and the informal economy.

Dr. Huerta earned his Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley, becoming one of the first Chicanas/os to achieve this distinction. He also holds an M.A. in Urban Planning and a B.A. in History from UCLA. Born in the United States, he spent his early years in Tijuana, Mexico, and formative years in East Los Angeles' Ramona Gardens public housing project (known as the Big Hazard projects), bringing firsthand experience to his academic work as a first-generation college graduate.

His research interests center on immigration policy, community organizing, the informal economy, and racial politics. Huerta's work bridges academic scholarship with community activism, examining how marginalized communities navigate and resist systemic inequalities. He has particular expertise in how immigrant communities create economic opportunities through informal networks and practices, as well as the political dimensions of community organizing among Latino populations.

His publications reveal a consistent focus on the intersection of race, ethnicity, and economic opportunity, with particular attention to how immigrant communities navigate regulatory environments. The articles demonstrate a progression from foundational academic work on topics like environmental racism and community organizing to increasingly policy-relevant analyses of contemporary issues like street vending decriminalization and responses to anti-immigrant policies during the Trump era. His scholarship consistently emphasizes the agency of marginalized communities and challenges deficit-based narratives about immigrant populations.

• 2020 International Latino Book Award for Defending Latina/o Immigrant Communities: The Xenophobic Era of Trump and Beyond
• Ford Fellow – The National Academies of the Sciences
• Ford Foundation Fellowship recipient

As both scholar and activist, Huerta has advised on numerous policy initiatives, most notably working to decriminalize street vending in Los Angeles and California. His community organizing background informs his academic approach, with previous campaigns including defeating Los Angeles' leaf-blower ban and opposing a power-plant proposal in Southeast Los Angeles. His work demonstrates a commitment to translating academic knowledge into practical community benefits while maintaining rigorous scholarly standards.