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 2024, 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: 68

2019 | Student Client Project

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

Client: LA Metro

2019 | Student Client Project

Land Use in a World of New Transportation Technologies
Monique Ho

Client: Los Angeles Department of City Planning

2019 | Student Client Project

Mode Choice and Perceptions of the Built Environment in Watts and Jordan Downs
Dustin Khuu

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

2019 | Student Client Project

The Role of Transportation in School Access: A Case Study of the Geffen Academy
Esteban Doyle

Client: Geffen Academy

2019 | Student Client Project

Wheels for All: Ensuring Equitable Access to Dockless Mobility in Los Angeles
Karina Schneider

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

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
Kay Sasaki, Nathan Serafin, Shayne Smith, Sarah Stockham, Matthew Hartzell, Cameron Olson, Warren Wells, Jordan Hallman, Andrés Carrasquillo, Jasneet Bains, Katrina Braehmer, Krystian Boreyko, Dan Broder

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

Best Practices for Evaluating Vision Zero Projects
Colin Piethe

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

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

2016 | Student Comprehensive Project

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

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

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

Client: Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

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

2015 | Student Client Project

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

Client: Palms Neighborhood Council