About Jason Neville

Jason previously worked as senior planner and project manager at the Los Angeles and New Orleans redevelopment agencies where he led strategic planning efforts to guide new public and private investments in underinvested communities. Jason recently published a popular 1-hour course on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on Planetizen. Jason is an alumnus of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Innovation Team, where as senior project manager he led the development of a suite of initiatives to reduce residential and business displacement in rapidly changing neighborhoods, including an ADU prototype project that was named Fast Company World Changing Idea in 2018, a renter’s rights awareness campaign in neighborhoods at risk of displacement, and a micro-grant program for legacy businesses in South Los Angeles.

In addition to his career in the public sector, Jason has worked in the private and nonprofit sectors to develop real estate in Los Angeles and New Orleans, including the first crowd-funded homeless housing project in the nation. Jason is a nationally-recognized expert in ADUs, leading research that helped change CA state law in 2017 to reduce barriers to ADUs, building over a dozen ADUs in Los Angeles through a company co-founded and co-led, and helping deliver two ADU affordability programs. Jason has been retained by cities and nonprofit developers to successfully apply for project funding, including awards from Bloomberg Philanthropies, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, HUD, and the California Strategic Growth Council.

Jason has an undergraduate degree in Urban Studies from University of New Orleans and a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning from USC in Los Angeles. He is a LEED-accredited professional and has taught at the Tulane School of Architecture and USC’s Price School of Public Policy. Jason lives with his wife and two daughters in New Orleans.