Student Capstone Projects

UCLA Luskin master’s students are required to complete a capstone project to earn their degree. Master or Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) projects can take the form of an applied planning project (client project), a comprehensive group project or a thesis. Master of Public Policy students complete an applied policy project. 

  • The Client Project is applied planning research on a real-world problem conducted by MURP students. ITS-supported client projects have taken national honors in recent years, including 2023, 2022, and 2021.
  • The Comprehensive Projects are similar, in many respects, to the client project, but larger in scope and scale. These projects simulate real world planning practice in that they incorporate students from various areas of concentration working together to research a problem from multiple planning angles.
  • Master’s theses focus on posing and answering a research question in planning that has not previously been answered. Research is conducted by a MURP student in conjunction with a faculty committee.

Do you have a student research project idea? Let us know by July 19, 2024





Total Results: 30

2024 | Student Comprehensive Project

Planning for Mobility Justice in Los Angeles
Christina Teves, Dilia Ortega, Rebecca Saavedra Swint, Kelsey Shockley, Genevieve Chacon, Michael Donovan, Kimberly Fisher, Joanny Leyva, Jessica Tomas Lopez, Divine Mutoni, William Dennis Nahl, Dominique Ong, Ariella Ventura, Zeltzin Angon, Yesenia Becerra

Client: Our Streets Action Committee

2023 | Student Client Project

Al Fresco in the Time of COVID-19: Addressing the Barrier to Outdoor Dining in Los Angeles Communities
Brittany Montaño

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2023 | Student Client Project

Bus Shelter Equity: A Study of the Distribution of Bus Shelters in Los Angeles County and Unincorporated Communities
Anne Yoon

Client: Office of Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell

2023 | Student Applied Policy Project

Micromobility Equity in Los Angeles
Alberto Murillo, Chia Yun Chang, Masamichi Ishikura, Nicholas Perloff-Giles, Abraham Cheung

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2022 | Student Client Project

Increasing Access to Groceries at the Century Villages at Cabrillo
Aziz Fellague Ariouat

Client: Century Villages at Cabrillo

2022 | Student Comprehensive Project

Planning Performance Indicators: Access to Opportunity
Zhendong Long, Luis Daniel Cruz, Paola Tirado Escareno, Aurelia Camacho, Arturo Jacobo, Rachel Lu, Danielle Parnes

Client: LA Metro Office of Extraordinary Innovation

2022 | Student Client Project

Transportation Challenges to Healthcare: Evaluating the Transportation Needs of Patients at Saban Community Clinic
Nataly Rios

Client: Saban Community Clinic

2021 | Student Client Project

California Government Screening Maps: An Investigation into Geographic Prioritization in Support of State Climate and Planning Goals
Shelly Quan

Client: California Air Resources Board

2020 | Student Client Project

Access Denied? Perceptions of New Mobility Services Among Disabled People in San Francisco
Madeline Ruvolo

Client: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)

2020 | Student Client Project

Meeting Travel Needs: Becoming Reacquainted with a Community’s Unmet Travel Needs
Annaleigh Yahata Ekman

Client: Gateway Cities Council of Governments

2020 | Student Client Project

Off the Rails: Alternatives to Policing on Transit
Ma'ayan Dembo

Client: Alliance for Community Transit - Los Angeles

2020 | Student Client Project

School Transportation Equity for Vulnerable Student Populations through Ridehailing: An Analysis of HopSkipDrive and Other Trips to School in Los Angeles County
Sam Speroni

Client: HopSkipDrive

2020 | Student Client Project

Socioeconomic Disparities and Pedestrian Collision in Orange County, California
Peter Garcia

Client: Latino Health Access

2020 | Student Client Project

The Movement Towards Mobility Justice in Los Angeles: Building a Framework Grounded in Popular Education & Community Knowledge
Zully Juarez

Client: People for Mobiltiy Justice

2020 | Student Client Project

The Pedestrian Battle of Los Angeles
Jorge Cáñez

Client: Los Angeles Walks

2019 | Student Client Project

Class Act: An Assessment of Los Angeles Metro’s U-Pass Program
Ryan Yowell

Client: LA Metro

2019 | Student Client Project

Mode Choice and Perceptions of the Built Environment in Watts and Jordan Downs
Dustin Khuu

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2019 | Student Client Project

The Role of Transportation in School Access: A Case Study of the Geffen Academy
Esteban Doyle

Client: Geffen Academy

2019 | Student Client Project

Wheels for All: Ensuring Equitable Access to Dockless Mobility in Los Angeles
Karina Schneider

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2018 | Student Client Project

Toward a Life in Balance: An Analysis of Commuting Characteristics and Jobs/Housing Balance in Southern California
Nicholas Maldarelli

Client: Southern California Association of Governments