The Department of Urban Studies and Planning has a vibrant research and community-engaged culture focused on these themes: Justice + Equity, Space, Climate + Sustanability, and Bridging Borders.
A part of the UC Centers network, the UC San Diego Labor Center strengthens and expands the labor movement through advanced research, education, and strategic partnerships with workers, labor organizations, policymakers, tribal organizations, and the broader San Diego region.
The Bioregional Center for Sustainability Science, Planning and Design brings diverse people and organizations together to collaboratively study and equitably improve how neighborhoods, cities, and regions function.
The Homelessness Hub conducts applied research into the causes, complications, and consequences of homelessness, collaborating with researchers and advocates from across the non-profit, academic, and public sectors, as well as with people who have direct experience of homelessness. The Homeless Hub aims to identify solutions that promote health, dignity, and housing for all.
The Just Transitions Initiative (JTI) supports innovation in design and organization towards more just and democratic futures, tackling geopolitics from below. JTI works towards just transitions by integrating analyses of labor, ecology, and social systems, including racial capitalism and settler colonialism.
Urban Expo is a unique event that brings together students, faculty, staff, and the San Diego community to celebrate the research capstone projects of Urban Studies & Planning and Real Estate & Development graduating students. Urban Expo also showcases work from additional Urban Studies and Planning Department courses.
The annual NAIOP University Challenge invites student teams from UCSD, USD, and SDSU to participate in a real estate competition on proposed sites in San Diego county, judged by a panel of senior-level real estate professions.
