Recent Professional Report Topics

The Professional Report provides students an opportunity to select a topic, develop, and prepare an independent planning project for a public, private, or community planning organization. Past PRs have addressed a wide range of issues, including land use planning, urban design, environmental planning, community and economic development, housing, international planning, and transportation planning. Take a look at some of the topics MURP students have tackled in recent years:

Exploring Strategies for Starting a Youth-Driven Food Policy Advocacy Group in Orange County, CA, Pamela Guerra; Client: Christina Hall, Executive Director, Orange County Food Access Coalition; Faculty Advisor: Walter Nicholls

Urban Heat Island Effects Mitigation Strategies in Southern California, Mengdi Li; (received 2018 OC-APA student award for this Professional Report); Client: City of Newport Beach, CA; Faculty Advisor: Maura Allaire

Strategies for Creating Day and Evening Activities: A Community Needs Assessment for Residents and Workers in Downtown Rialto, CA, Melody Segura; Client: Gina Gibson–Williams, Planning Manager, City of Rialto; Faculty Advisor: Jae Hong Kim

Irresistible Connections: Linking Santa Ana, CA to the River Trail, Jonathan Lightfoot; Client: C.C. LaGrange, ASLA, Associate, Placeworks; Faculty Advisor: Douglas Houston

The Urban Wetland Predicament: Enhancing Public Access at the Los Cerritos Wetlands, Andrew Dunlap; Client: Christine Whitcraft, CSU Long Beach; Faculty Advisor: Nicola Ulibarri

Resident’s Guide to Bicycle Safety for Santa Ana, CA, Courtney Frahm; Client: Cory Wilkerson, Active Transportation Coordinator, City of Santa Ana; Faculty Advisor: David Feldman

A Community Leader’s Political Organizing Guide to Promoting Affordable Housing in Costa Mesa, CA, Patricia Malagon; Client: Miguel Hernandez, Executive Director, Orange County Congregational Community Organization; Faculty Advisor: Victoria Basolo

Bravo! Route 560 Limited Stop Bus Ridership Evaluation Report for the Orange County Transportation Authority, Nancy Lo; Client: Gary Hewitt, Manager, Transit and Non-Motorized Division, Orange County Transportation Authority; Faculty Advisor: Jean-Daniel Saphores

Citizen Participation in Planning: Doheny Village, Dana Point, CA, Daniel Herman; Client: Belinda Deines, Senior Planning, City of Dana Point; Faculty Advisor: Walter Nicholls

Long-term Northside Residents of the City of Riverside Demand a More Vibrant Neighborhood!, Janine Nava-Torres; Client: Jay Eastman, Community and Economic Department, City of Riverside; Faculty Advisor: Seth Pipkin

Mariners’ Mile Revitalization, Kaitlin Zitelli; Client: Brenda Wisneski, Deputy Community Development Director, and Makana Nova, Associate Planner, City of Newport Beach; Faculty Advisor: Kenneth Chew

A Comparison of Benchmarking Systems: Applicability of LEED-ND as a Sustainability Benchmarking Tool in Europe, Estefanie Cervantes; Client: University of Vienna, Professor Gunther Maier (NEURUS); Faculty Advisor: Ajay Garde

City of Garden Grove, California Comprehensive Historic and Architectural Resources Inventory, Huong Ly;  Client: Erin Webb, Senior Planner, City of Garden Grove; Faculty Advisor: Scott Bollens

Variation in Environmental Policy Among Orange County Cities, Tanner Wolverton; Client: Joan Kelly, AICP, Psomas; Faculty Advisor: Nicholas Marantz

Applying Municipal Lessons to Military Planning in the United StatesMore (Chuanzhe) Song; Client: AECOM; Faculty Advisor: Sarah Catz

Community Access to Parks, Recreation, and Open Space in the City of MoorparkAndrew Kent; Client: David Bobardt, Community Development Director, City of Moorpark; Faculty Advisor: Victoria Basolo

Climate Action and K-12 Education: Program Persistence in Southern California Schools, Hope Pollard; Client: Scott Thach, VP of Education, Alliance to Save Energy; Faculty Advisor: David Feldman

Quantifying Compact Development: Development of a Composite Index for Dutch Cities, Shipra Rajesh; Client: Aleid Brouwer, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (NEURUS); Faculty Advisor: Ajay Garde

Long-Distance Travel Mode Preferences of College-Aged Students in Germany, Cayla McDonell; Client: Elmar Kulke, Department of Geography, Humboldt University, Berlin (NEURUS); Faculty Advisor: Jae Hong Kim

Urban Planting: Assessing the Potential for Urban Agriculture in Orange County, Priya Macwan; Client: Orange County Food Access Coalition; Faculty Advisor: Ken Chew

Reclaiming the Roadway: Planning Active Streets in Santa Ana, Nathan Retzlaff-Raznick; Client: Santa Ana Active Streets (SAAS) Coalitionl Faculty Advisor: Walter Nicholls

District Strategies to Control Heat Island Effects in the Historical Core of Tehran, Niki Iranpour Tari; Client: Armature Paradis Planning and Development, Tehran; Faculty Advisor: Douglas Houston

Stepping Ahead: Promoting Walking and Public Life in Vienna, Joseph Cryer; Client: Gunther Maier, Wirtschaftsuniversitat Wien, Vienna (NEURUS); Faculty Advisor: Douglas Houston

Energy Reduction Strategies for Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Greg Wiley; Client: Marine Corps Base Camp; Faculty Advisor: Tim-Allen Bruckner

Site Selection for Affordable Housing Development: An Analysis of Housing Element Suitable Sites Inventories from Orange County, California, Natalie Anderson; Client: Adobe Communities; Faculty Advisor: Victoria Basolo