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

Propose Project Idea




Total Results: 32

2024 | Student Client Project

Rochester’s Inner Loop Freeway-to-Boulevard Project: A Case Study
Carolyn Pugh

Client: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Environment, Transportation & Communities

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2024 | Student Client Project

The Impacts of Sidewalk Autonomous Delivery Robots on Vehicle Travel and Emissions A Focus on On-Demand Food Delivery
Yu-Chen Chu

Client: Coco Delivery

Environment, New Mobility, Traffic

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2024 | Student Client Project

Tolling for Tomorrow: Road Pricing as a Climate Strategy in California
Alexandria Florin

Client: California Air Resources Board

Environment, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2024 | Student Client Project

Where Do Batteries Go When They Die? An Assessment of Battery Disposal Strategies for Battery Electric Buses
Matthews Cribioli

Client: WSP Global

Environment, New Mobility

REPORT

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)

Access to Opportunities, Environment

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2023 | Student Client Project

Center of a Tension: An Analysis of Center Turn Lanes
Michael Rosen

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Environment, Traffic

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2023 | Student Client Project

Slow Streets! Your Streets? An Evaluation of Speed-Reducing Countermeasures on LA Slow Streets
Jackson Zeng

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Environment, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

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

Access to Opportunities, Environment

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2022 | Student Applied Policy Project

Zero Emission Delivery Zones: An Analysis on U.S. Implementation
Matthew Forbes, Emily Marshall, Marium Navid, Karleigh Shepard, Ryota Abe

Client: World Resources Institute

Environment, New Mobility

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Assessing Public Outreach About Slow Streets in San Francisco
Lena Rogow

Client: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA)

Environment, Public Transit, Traffic, Transportation & Communities

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

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

Access to Opportunities, Environment

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Evaluation of Bus All-Door Boarding: Analysis of Dwell Time Performance
Alexander Murray

Client: LA Metro

Environment, Public Transit

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

It’s Not Just a Sign: Traffic Calming Gives Bump to Safety – A Cost Benefit Analysis ofTraffic Calming in the City of Los Angeles
Asiya Patel

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Environment, Traffic, Transportation & Communities

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Lessons for Upgrading Los Angeles’ Slow Streets: A Feasibility Study for Making the L.A. Slow Streets Program Permanent in a Post-COVID City
Madeleine Garces

Client: Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Transportation

Environment, Traffic, Transportation & Communities

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Matching L.A. Travel Patterns and Metro Bus Service
Edgar Mejia

Client: LA Metro

Environment, Public Transit

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

One Light, Two Light, Red Light, Green Light: An Analysis of Signal Priority on the Metro G Line
Yu Hong Hwang

Client: LA Metro

Environment, Public Transit

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Towards Achieving Carbon Neutrality in California: Forecasted Transportation Expenditures on Fossil Fuel Vehicles and Zero Emission Vehicles from 2020 to 2045
Allison Yang

Client: UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Environment, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Comprehensive Project

Transit-Oriented Development Without Displacement: Strategies to Help Pacoima Businesses Thrive
Laura Daza García, Lauren Hiller, Bertha L. Calderón Chiñas, Talia Coutin, Charlotte Will, Samikchhya Bhusal

Client: Pacoima Beautiful

Environment, Public Transit, Traffic, Transportation & Communities

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2020 | Student Client Project

Cool Pavement Evaluation: Sun Valley, Los Angeles
Falak Fatima Zaidi

Client: Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services (StreetsLA)

Environment

REPORT

2020 | Student Client Project

The Effect of Bus Lane Management Techniques on Operator Experience, Safety, and On-Time Performance
Cassie Halls

Client: LA Metro

Environment, Public Transit

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF