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

2015 | Master's Thesis

Open for Business? Effects of Los Angeles Metro Rail Construction on Adjacent Businesses
Rosalie Singerman Ray

2015 | Student Comprehensive Project

Oriented for Whom? The Impacts of TOD on Six Los Angeles Neighborhoods
Allyson Ujimori, Mark Simpson, Mariana Huerta-Jones, Darryl Yip, Aaron Ordower, Jake Connor, Laura Krawczyk, Sheila Nem, Erica Lee, Chi Dang, Katie Olson-Kenny, Vicky Wu, Mark Friedlander, Matthew Hom

2013 | Master's Thesis

The Origins of Metropolitan Transportation Planning in Travel Demand Forecasting, 1944-1962
Cheryl Deutsch

2012 | Student Comprehensive Project

Connect in Burbank: Linking High Speed Rail, Air Travel and Business to Create a Vibrant, Mixed-Use District
Darren Conly, Michael Coons, Bradley Cleveland, Taylor Choe, Kristi Bailey, Amy Vetal, Jinghua Suo, Nicholas Foster, Reuban Duarte, Lu Lu, Katie Lemmon, Esther Jung, Christopher Jones, Jessica Hyman, Lindsey Miller, Alek Miller, Dao Doan, David Dawson

Client: City of Burbank

2012 | Student Client Project

Is Just Growth Smarter Growth? The Effects of Gentrification on Transit Ridership and Driving in Los Angeles’ Transit Station Area Neighborhoods
Will Dominie

Client: Bus Riders Union

2011 | Student Client Project

Benefit-Cost Analysis for Transportation Project Evaluation: Selecting a Tool for the Metropolitan Transportation
Michelle Go

Client: Metropolitan Transportation Commission

2010 | Student Comprehensive Project

Metro Orange Line Sepulveda Station Transit Oriented Development Capstone Studio
Dante Doberneck, Jeremy Cogan, Haila Adamo, Ruby Horta, Kevin Finkel, Scott John, Jacqueline Torres, Steven Mateer, Kevin Kahn, Andrew Lee, Lauren Finkel, Eric Douglas, Raul Lugo

Client: LA Metro

2008 | Student Client Project

Where the Streets and Sidewalks End: Greening the Public Right-of-Way: Sustainable Solutions for the City of West Hollywood
Georgia C. Sheridan

Client: City of West Hollywood