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: 21

2024 | Student Client Project

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

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Transportation & Communities, Transportation Finance

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

2023 | Student Client Project

A Blueprint for Connected Public Transport for Los Angeles County
Isabelle Garvanne

Client: LA Metro

Public Transit, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2023 | Student Client Project

Change for the Meter. Exploring the Equity Implications of Market-Priced Parking
Elena Savignano

Client: Kounkuey Design Initiative

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2023 | Student Client Project

Charging the Future: Assessing the Environmental Impact of a Road User Charge With Mandatory Electric Vehicle Participation
Rachel Seiberg

Client: AECOM

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

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)

Transportation & Communities, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2023 | Student Client Project

PARK Smarter: Lessons in Curb Pricing for New York City
Purva Kapshikar

Client: New York City Department of Transportation

Parking, Traffic, Transportation Finance

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 Client Project

Equity and Mileage-Based User Fees: An Analysis of the Equity Implications of Mileage-Based User Fees Compared to the Gas Tax in the SCAG Region
Shinah Park

Client: Southern California Association of Governments

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2022 | Student Client Project

State Transportation Funding in California: Progressive Targets or Prehistoric Thinking?
Benjamin Bressette

Client: California Integrated Travel Program

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2021 | Student Client Project

Daylighting Public Funding Streams: Increasing Equitable Access to Public Transit Across California
Eric Dasmalchi, Natalie Amberg

Client: Caltrans

Public Transit, Transportation & Communities, Transportation Finance

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

2020 | Student Client Project

Changing Plans: Flexibility, Accountability, and Oversight of Local Option Sales Tax Measure Implementation in California
Jeremy Marks

Client: Caltrans

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2020 | Student Comprehensive Project

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

Client: City of Culver City

Transportation & Communities, Transportation Finance

REPORT

2020 | Student Client Project

Whose Budget is it Anyway? Demystifying the City of Los Angeles Transportation Budgeting Process
Katherine Stiegemeyer

Client: Investing in Place

Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2019 | Student Client Project

Advancing a Mobility as a Service: Lessons Learned from Leading-Edge Public Agencies
Tomoko Kanda

Client: King County Metro

New Mobility, Public Transit, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2019 | Student Applied Policy Project

Charging Infrastructure Strategies: Maximizing the Deployment of Electric Drayage Trucks in Southern California
Gabrielle "Libby" Bradley

Client: Southern California Edison

Transportation Finance

REPORT

2019 | Student Client Project

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

Client: LA Metro

Access to Opportunities, Public Transit, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2019 | Student Client Project

Congestion Pricing for Climate, Capacity, or Communities?
Austin Stanion

Client: AECOM

Environment, Traffic, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF

2019 | Student Client Project

Improving First/Last-Mile Conditions Near Highways: An Investigation of Access and Coordination Barriers
Adam Russell

Client: LA Metro

Public Transit, Transportation & Communities, Transportation Finance

REPORT | POLICY BRIEF