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: 162

2016 | Student Client Project

Assessing Elderly Mobility Needs in an Ethnic Enclave: A Case Study of Little Tokyo
Jewel Deguzman

Client: Little Tokyo Service Center

2016 | Student Client Project

Bicycle Parking in Residential Developments: A Dialogue Between Planners and Developers
Jenny Yu

Client: Alta Planning + Design

2016 | Student Client Project

Bike Share Means Business: A Case Study of the Santa Monica Breeze Bike Share System
Owen Gorman

Client: Cyclehop UCLA

2016 | Student Client Project

Closing the Gap Between the Valley and the Westside: Improving the Performance of L.A. Metro’s Valley-Westside Express
Lance MacNiven

Client: WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff

2016 | Student Client Project

Commuter Rail Maintenance Contracting: Analyzing The Impacts on Quality & Costs
Zoe Unruh

Client: Southern California Regional Rail Authority

2016 | Student Comprehensive Project

Delivering the Good: Strategic Interventions Towards a Just & Sustainable Logistics System in Southern California
Ariana Vito, Adriana Quiquivix, Dylan Sittig, Diana Benitez, 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

2016 | Student Client Project

Electric Vehicle Charging at Work: Understanding Workplace PEV Charging Behavior to Inform Pricing Policy and Investment Decisions
Ryan Winn

Client: ChargePoint

2016 | Student Client Project

Equity in Motion: Bikeshare in Low-Income Communities
Aysha Cohen

Client: District Department of Transportation

2016 | Student Client Project

Fleeing the Scene: Hit and Run Collisions in Los Angeles
Rosemary McCarron

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2016 | Student Client Project

Measuring Risk of Residential Displacement Around LA Metro’s New Light-Rail Stations
Camille Stewart

Client: East Los Angeles Community Corporation

2016 | Student Client Project

Peak Hour Parking Restrictions & Traffic Safety
Marc Caswell

Client: Alta Planning + Design

2016 | Student Client Project

Planning for Carshare: Pricing and Parking Findings and Recommendations for the City of Los Angeles’ Electric Vehicle Carsharing Pilot Project
Betty Barberena

Client: Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Sustainability

2016 | Student Client Project

Taking Health to the LA Great Streets: Measuring Walking, Biking, and Safety
Jimmy Tran

Client: LA Great Streets Initiative

2016 | Master's Thesis

The Influences of Intersection Roadway Characteristics on Pedestrian-Vehicle Collisions
Jasmin Youngeun Kim

2016 | Student Client Project

To Live and Ride in LA: Are Bike Lanes Making Angelenos Safer?
Ryan Taylor-Gratzer

Client: Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

2016 | Student Client Project

Where They’re Coming From and How They’re Getting Here: A Mobility Assessment on Little Tokyo’s Nonresident Population
Karen Thai

Client: Little Tokyo Service Center

2016 | Student Client Project

Who Wins When Streets Lose Lanes? An Analysis of Safety on Road Diet Corridors in Los Angeles
Severin Martinez

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2016 | Student Client Project

Why is There Nowhere to Park in Silver Lake?
Brian Lang

Client: Silver Lake NeighborHood Association

2015 | Student Client Project

(Re)visioning Overland Avenue: The Next Great Street
Melody Wu

Client: Palms Neighborhood Council