Capstone Projectsandrew2024-06-17T13:32:40-07:00

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

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Total Results: 163

2018 | Student Client Project

Pathways to Play: Opportunities for the City of Los Angeles

Ryan Kurtzman

Client: Los Angeles Mayor's Office

Transportation & Communities

2018 | Master's Thesis

Pushed from the Curb: Optimizing the Use of Curb Space by Ride-Sourcing Vehicles

Ryland Lu

New Mobility, Parking

2018 | Student Applied Policy Project

Reducing Air Emissions Through Clean Ship Incentive Programs

Farah Setyawati, Takuma Matsubayashi, Yichuan Yuan, Anya Titova, Christophe LaBelle

Client: Port of Long Beach

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

Access to Opportunities

2018 | Student Client Project

Transit First: Culver City Washington Boulevard Transit Lane Feasibility Study

Jeffery Lu

Client: Culver CityBus

Public Transit

2018 | Student Client Project

Unequal Streets: Active Transportation Safety Disparities in the SCAG Region

Riley O'Brien

Client: Tom Vo

Transportation & Communities

2018 | Student Client Project

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

Rabi Abonour

Client: Alta Planning + Design

Transportation & Communities

2017 | Student Client Project

Assessing Transit Need for the Los Angeles Arts District

Zachary Popp

Client: AECOM

Public Transit

2017 | Student Client Project

Best Practices for Evaluating Vision Zero Projects

Colin Piethe

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Access to Opportunities, Transportation & Communities

2017 | Student Client Project

Culver CityBus Ridership Analysis: System and Line-By-Line Ridership and Productivity Analysis Before and After the Opening of the Expo Line Phase 2

Zi Jun (Nicole) He

Client: Culver CityBus

Public Transit

2017 | Student Client Project

Curbside EV Charging Study for the City of West Hollywood

Chenlin Ye

Client: City of West Hollywood

2017 | Student Client Project

Expanding the Public Supply of Parking Through the Conversion of Privately Owned Lots in Public-Private Facilities

Bryan Ochoa

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2017 | Student Client Project

Improving the LA County Metro Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit Service

Matthew Gertz

Client: LA Metro

Public Transit

2017 | Student Client Project

LA Metro Bike Share Program User & Non-User Perceptions: A Survey & Statistical Analysis

Jacqueline Su

Client: LA Metro

2017 | Student Client Project

Making Headways: An Analysis of Transit Demand on an Emerging Corridor in Vallejo, CA

Christopher Marks

Client: Opticos Design

Public Transit

2017 | Student Client Project

Making Headways: Strategies for Implementing Dedicated Bus Infrastructure in L.A.

Jordan Fraade

Client: Investing in Place

Public Transit

2017 | Student Client Project

Planes, Trains, and Storm Drains: The Effects of Transportation Infrastructure on Water Runoff in Los Angeles County

Aviv Kleinman

Client: Southern California Association of Governments

2017 | Student Client Project

Preparing for a Driverless Future: Strategies for the City of Los Angeles

Vivian Lee

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2017 | Student Client Project

Reclaiming the Road: Reshaping Transportation in Playa Vista

Cat Callaghan

Client: Santa Monica Big Blue Bus

Transportation & Communities

2017 | Student Client Project

Toward Zero Baltimore: An Analyzing of Intersection Related Pedestrian Crashes in the City of Baltimore

Shikha Jain

Client: Baltimore Department of Transportation

Access to Opportunities, Transportation & Communities