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.




Total Results: 29

2024 | Student Client Project

Bridging the Gap: Gender Equity in Transportation for Unhoused Women
DaYoung Lee

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2024 | Master's Thesis

Creatively Transforming Transportation: Collaborating with Artists as a Model Towards Reparative Planning in Transportation
Lilith Winkler-Schor

2024 | Student Client Project

Reforming the Freeway Divide to Close Gaps and Reconnect Communities
Hudson Handel

Client: City Fabrick

2024 | Student Client Project

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

Client: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

2024 | Student Client Project

WELCOME TO LITTLE TOKYO! PLEASE TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES. A Case Study on the 2018-2020 Little Tokyo Arts District Station Joint Development Process in Los Angeles, California
Brian Kohaya

Client: Little Tokyo Community Council

2023 | Student Client Project

Designing Streetscapes for Gender Inclusivity
Sophie Frank

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2023 | Student Client Project

Dining or Parking? Managing the Curb During COVID-19 and Beyond: An Analysis of Al Fresco Program
Graham Rossmore

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2023 | Student Client Project

Safe Routes to School in St. Louis and Beyond
Jin Zhang

Client: Trailnet

2020 | Student Comprehensive Project

Complete Streets for Culver City
Bing Lin Nyang, Anna Geannopoulos, Guadalupe Huerta, Yue Shen

Client: City of Culver City

2020 | Student Client Project

Decision Making Frameworks: Streetscape Cooling Interventions
Madeleine Sims

Client: Tree People / Climate Resolve

2019 | Student Client Project

Completing Our Streets: Lessons for Los Angeles from Peer Agencies Creating Safer, Multimodal Streets
Malia Schilling

Client: Toole Design

2018 | Student Client Project

Fast, Furious & Fatal: An Assessment of Speed-Setting Methodology in California
Ribeka Toda

Client: Nelson/Nygaard

2018 | Student Client Project

Feasibility of Form-Based Code for Transit-Oriented Development
Michelle Chung

Client: Los Angeles County Supervisional District 1

2018 | Student Comprehensive Project

Moving Metro Toward Transit-Oriented Communities
Nathan Serafin, Shayne Smith, Sarah Stockham, Cameron Olson, Matthew Hartzell, Warren Wells, Kay Sasaki, Jordan Hallman, Andrés Carrasquillo, Katrina Braehmer, Krystian Boreyko, Dan Broder, Jasneet Bains

2018 | Student Client Project

Pathways to Play: Opportunities for the City of Los Angeles
Ryan Kurtzman

Client: Los Angeles Mayor's Office

2018 | Student Client Project

Unequal Streets: Active Transportation Safety Disparities in the SCAG Region
Riley O'Brien

Client: Tom Vo

2018 | Student Client Project

Vision Zero’s Enforcement Problem: Using Community Engagement to Craft Equitable Traffic Safety Strategies
Rabi Abonour

Client: Alta Planning + Design

2017 | Student Client Project

Reclaiming the Road: Reshaping Transportation in Playa Vista
Cat Callaghan

Client: Santa Monica Big Blue Bus

2016 | Student Comprehensive Project

Delivering the Good: Strategic Interventions Towards a Just & Sustainable Logistics System in Southern California
Ariana Vito, Dylan Sittig, Diana Benitez, Adriana Quiquivix, Edber Macedo, Gabriel Gutierrez, Evan Moorman, Lindsey Jagoe, Kate Bridges, Mike Barrita-Diaz, Meghmik Babakhanian, Saly Heng, Sam Appel, Stephanie Tsai

Client: Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy

2016 | Student Client Project

Designing Grand Streets in LA: Assessing Physical Design Elements
Marissa Sanchez

Client: Here Design Los Angeles