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University of Southern California

Urban Planning

Urban Planning

Our urban planning experts focus on designing more livable communities. They include renowned experts who have been named to leadership and advisory roles at the U.S Department of Housing & Urban Development and have provided expert testimony to the Senate Committees on Finance and Banking.

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Featured Faculty

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Urban Planning and Development Faculty

Explore USC Price faculty and their cross-disciplinary scholarship.

Urban Planning Faculty
Headshot of Marlon Boarnet

We live in the world’s first urban century. The challenges of our time – climate change, equity and inclusion, sustainable settlements – will play out in cities and communities. USC’s urban planning faculty are thought leaders, ranking among the most cited influencers in urban planning in the U.S. and worldwide.

Marlon Boarnet

Professor

Director, METRANS Transportation Consortium

Featured Research Centers

Urban Data Lab

Urban Data Lab uses computational data science and spatial analysis to explore urban transportation patterns around the world, critically interrogate how big data reshapes housing affordability, and leverage technology platforms for more just, collaborative city planning.

Urban Data Lab Website
Urban Data Lab

Featured Research Centers

METRANS Transportation Consortium

METRANS is a U.S. Department of Transportation University Transportation Center. It is a joint partnership of USC and California State University, Long Beach. Its mission is to solve transportation problems in large metropolitan regions through interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach. Its four areas of focus are goods movement and international trade; urban mobility; transportation infrastructure and finance; and safety, security, and vulnerability.

METRANS Transportation Center Website
Drone shot of the front gate of a container terminal in the Port of Los Angeles on a sunny day. Trucks are lined up to leave and enter, and in the background massive container ships are sitting in their berths being loaded and unloaded by cranes. Authorization was obtained from the Los Angeles Harbor Department and Los Angeles Port Police for this operation in restricted airspace.

Featured Research Centers

Population Dynamics Research Group

The Population Dynamics Research Group uncovers demographic trends that drive major changes in society, providing insights that lead to effective policies. These population patterns underlie areas as diverse as housing, immigration, education, health, labor, transportation, the environment, and urban growth. The Popdynamics team monitors the future using multiple data sources including the decennial U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, and our own carefully crafted Demographic Futures projections which incorporate layers of demographic analysis and include greater detail than the census provides.

Population Dynamics Research Group Website
Population Dynamics Research Group

Featured Research Centers

Spatial Analysis Lab (SLAB)

Committed to expanding the visualization of public policy and urban planning, the USC Price School launched its Spatial Analysis Lab for research. SLAB’s research experiments with developing alternative cartographies to bring attention to overlooked urban spaces and people. It also critically studies how our visual narratives interface with social institutions and public discourse.

Spatial Analysis Lab (SLAB) Website
Los Angeles

Featured Research Centers

Sol Price Center for Social Innovation

Aims to advance ideas, strategies, and practices that enhance the quality of life for people in urban communities. The center will provide opportunities for direct student engagement across all of the Price School’s primary disciplines.

Sol Price Center for Social Innovation Website
Houses and fields shown from the sky by drone give a unique perspective on life on the suburbs