Course: Urban Planning 205A: Applied Planning Research Project

Last Taught: Fall 2021

The purpose of the course is to help students identify, develop, and prepare professionally written, applied planning research projects (APRP). Students will be expected to apply their knowledge of planning theory and methods to real-world planning problems. Completion of the applied research project fulfills the capstone requirement for the Master’s of Urban and Regional Planning in the Department of Urban Planning. 

This course is the first part of a two-course sequence (UP205A and UP205B).

Course: Urban Planning 205B: Applied Planning Research Project

Last Taught: Winter 2022

The purpose of the course is to help students identify, develop, and prepare professionally written, applied planning research projects (APRP). Students will be expected to apply their knowledge of planning theory and methods to real-world planning problems. Completion of the applied research project fulfills the capstone requirement for the Masters of Urban and Regional Planning in the Department of Urban Planning.

This course is the second part of a two-course sequence (UP205A and UP205B).

Course Social Welfare 249A/Urban Planning 208A: Scientific Inquiry/Colloquium on Planning Research

Last Taught: Fall 2020

This is the first of a required three-course PhD program sequence in research design. The goals of this first class are (i) to introduce students to the PhD programs at UCLA Luskin, including faculty and peers; (ii) to expose students to the epistemologies of research in Social Welfare and Urban Planning via a series of faculty and student presentations, and (iii) to guide the development of a PhD program Plan of Study, which is an agreement among students principal faculty adviser, the PhD program Director, and the student on the specific steps needed to complete a PhD program.

Course: Urban Planning 242: Poverty and Inequality

Last Taught: Spring 2020

This course examines the relationship between urbanization and spatial inequality in the U.S. The class is intended to give students a background in the scholarly literature and debates on this topic as the foundation for other courses in the Community Economic Development and Housing concentration as well as other fields. The course will cover the following topics: the spatial dynamics of urban growth, levels and causes of spatial inequality, and the implications of spatial inequality particularly for low-income households and communities. The course will conclude with a discussion of policy and planning strategies to bring about greater spatial justice.

Course: Urban Planning 257: Transportation and Economic Outcomes

Last Taught: Winter 2024

The course examines the equity issues associated with urban transportation. In particular, it focuses on the complex relationships among urban spatial structure, transportation (travel patterns and transportation investments), and outcomes for low-income communities and communities of color. The course is intended to (1) provide students with an understanding of the role of transportation in improving economic outcomes for low-income and minority households and communities (2) serve as an opportunity for students to understand the role of policy better and planning in achieving transportation justice and (3) strengthen students’ writing and presentation skills.