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Urban Planning Thesis

The thesis is a requirement of the Masters of Urban Planning Program. In its simplest description, a thesis is an individually-researched and analyzed answer to a planning question. The goal of a thesis is to teach students to carry out independent research - whether interviews, statistical analysis, literature review, or fieldwork (or some combination of all of these) - and to hone their professional writing skills in presenting their research.

Students register for thesis in both the fall and spring semesters. During the first half of the fall semester, there are regular classes to support students in the initial development of their thesis question and in identifying appropriate research methods. Later, students work in small groups with their faculty advisor. In the second semester, work is largely independent as students analyze the results of their research and prepare the written document.

Prizes are awarded each year for the theses that faculty consider to be exemplary. Recent thesis titles are listed below; linked abstracts allow for a more complete look at the work. Urban Planning theses are filed in Avery Library with the Rare Books collection and are available for review in Avery Library.

2012 Urban Planning Theses

*Denotes commencement prize recipient.

Caitlin Fitzpatrick
  • Caitlin Hackett, “Coordinating Planners’ Perceptions of Neighborhood in De-Industrialized Detroit.”
  • Claudia Huerta, “Transit Funding; Why the Politics? A Comparative Study of Public Transportation Infrastructure Funding in New York City and Los Angeles.”
  • Benjamin Huff, “Analyzing the Effects of Industrial Retention Policy on New York City Neighborhoods.”
  • Priyanka Jain, “Limited Right to City: The changing meaning of Public Space.”
  • Laura Jay, “Eminent Domain Abuse: A Look at How to Address Eminent Domain Reform through Urban Planning Processes.”
  • Doneliza Joaquin, “Olympic Transportation Planning: The Legacies of Barcelona and Beijing.”
  • Jacqueline Louise Keliiaa, “AlterNATIVE Economic Development Models For Native American Tribes: A Case Study on the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.”
  • *Kyle M. Kirschling, “An Economic Analysis of Rapid Transit in New York, 1870—2010.”
  • Tsz Kiu Liu, “San Francisco’s Sit/Lie Ordinance: Perceptions, Realities, and Desires.”
  • Erin Lavelle, “A Local Approach to Emergency Management: Knowledge Dissemination and Household Preparedness in Central Massachusetts.”
  • *Megan Marini, “Building Adaptive Capacity: An Analysis of Innovations in Information and Communication Technology in Post-Earthquake Haiti.”
  • Devin J. McDowall, “Planning on Noise: The Implementation of Noise Compatibility Zoning in the Northeast United States.”
  • Alexander McQuilkin, “Building Economies: Real estate investment and the finance sector in Shanghai’s Pudong Special Economic Zone.”
  • Arvind Murthy, “Protecting New York City from Homegrown Terrorism: The City’s Role in Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization.”
  • Jae Young Paek, “Planning for Resettled Communities: A Study of International Regulations in the Extractive Industries in Ghana.”
  • Edgar Pedroza, “Provincial Reconstruction Teams | Iraq: Effective Review, Planning, & Standards of Practice”
  • Charles-Antoine Perrault, “Assessing Urban Density: a Multidimensional Model”.
  • Lauren A. Racusin. “Locked in: The Silent Siege of Dubrovnik by the Tourism Industry.”
  • Jake Schabas, “Transit-Oriented Governance: A Comparison of the Impact of Regional Government Structures on public transit use in Toronto and Vancouver.”
  • Stephanie Servetz, “Improving Disaster Preparedness in NYC through Widespread Education.”
  • Fred Sham, “The Urban Political Ecologies of Vancouver: Sustainable Development and Affordability."
  • Trevor Shanklin, “The Balance of Affordable Housing in New York City: A Spatial Analysis of the City’s Assisted Affordable Housing Landscape and Whether the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program Compromises the Potential to Achieve a Balance.”
  • Susana T. Siman, "Bridging the Communication Gap; Real Estate Developers and the Local Community: A Look at Online Platforms used for Community Engagement in Real Estate Development."
  • Vanessa Monique Smith, “Social Networks Matter: A new Approach to Assess Clusters, Cultural Vitality, and their Implications for Planning Processes in Rio de Janeiro’s historic district, Praça Tiradentes.”
  • *Michael Snidal, “Suburbs of their Own: African-American Outmigration and Persistent Segregation in Chicago.”
  • Maxwell L. Sokol, “Theorizing Planning Practice: Collaborative Planning for Smart Growth on Long Island, New York.”
  • Diana Switaj, “An Examination of Neighborhood Retail and Small Businesses in Post- 9/11 Lower Manhattan.”
  • Joyce Tam, "Alternative Transportation Modes: How to Create More Options in Los Angeles.”
  • Victor S. Teglasi, “Why Transportation Mega-Projects (Often) Fail?”
  • Alex J. Wallach, “Understanding Park Usership: An Examination of the Role of User Studies in Park Planning.”
  • Anqi Yang, “Dispersal Consistency of Subsidized Affordable Housing and Low-income Households in Santa Clara County, California.”
  • Jeffrey Yuen, “Hybrid Vigor: An Analysis of Land Tenure Arrangements in Addressing Land Security for Urban Community Gardens.”
  • Michelle Young, “Community-based Approaches to the Implementation of the New York State Electronic Waste Recycling Law in New York City.”
  • Yasmin Zaerpoor, “Putting the Citizen at the Heart of Water Management: A Study of Water in Bangalore.”
  • Mi Zhou, “Public space use in New York City, its relationship to space design character, surrounding context, and user’s perception of publicness through space management and control.”

    • 2011 Urban Planning Theses

    This list is incomplete.
    * Denotes commencement prize recipient.

    2010 Urban Planning Theses

    * Denotes commencement prize recipient.

    2009 Urban Planning Theses

    *Denotes commencement prize recipient.

    2008 Urban Planning Theses

    *Denotes commencement prize recipient.