UEP Senior Comprehensive Projects, "Comps" as they are more commonly referred to, often stretch beyond the classroom to interact, impact and evaluate public policy issues at the local, national and even global level.

2023 UEP Senior Comprehensive Projects

Controversies over Public Exam Schools: A Case Study Of Lowell High School in San Francisco Unified School District
This research investigates the contentious issue of public exam high schools. Public exam high schools select their student body predominantly through some measure of academic merit. Through a case study of Lowell High School in San Francisco, California, the only public exam high school in the school district, this research examines the role of selective schools in a district and what their future should look like, as districts strive for educational equity.
by Madeline Aubry

Inequality in Urban Food Systems: Assessing Grocery Store Distribution within the City of Los Angeles
Food insecurity is a growing issue within cities. It is a crisis which disproportionately affects low income and people of color, as they have less access to fresh and nutritious foods, often leading to detrimental health consequences. This study explores these issues using the City of Los Angeles as a case study.
by Josh Beissinger

Is this the end of public sector unions in America or a new beginning? A Case Study of the California Federation of Teachers
by Leo Blain

Nonprofit Music Education: A case study on the Harmony Project and Education Through Music - Los Angeles
by Stefan Ceara

Resident-Centered Design: Analyzing the Redevelopment of Public Housing Projects in California
by Oliver Corpus

An analysis of SAG-AFTRA film and TV set safety regulations and perceptions: Are they doing enough?
by Chase Cortese

Students' Use of Outdoor Space at Occidental College: Considerations for an Environmentally and Culturally Sustainable Landscape
by Colleen Easler

Analyzing the Impact of Resident Involvement in Public Housing Referendums: A Case Study of New York City's Public Housing Preservation Trust
by Sonali Govind

Sustainability in Soccer: Developing Eco-Friendly Models of Soccer Fields in LA Parks by Assessing The Benefits and Tradeoffs of Synthetic Turf and Grass Soccer Fields
by Jazz Henry

Building a Sustainable City through the Decarbonization of Affordable Housing: A Case Study of East LA Community Corporation
by Melissa Maldonado

Evolving Equitable Access: The Los Angeles Public Library System’s Impact on Wealth Inequality
by Emma McKechnie

Homeownership and the American Illusion: The State of Black Homeowners is Urban South Carolina
by Ellie McKinney

Community, Circularity, & Compost: The Case for Community-Driven Food Waste Diversion Systems in the City of Los Angeles
by Isa Merel

Defining the Nuclear-Naval Unknown: News Media Narrative Construction and Naval-Industrial Community Understandings
by Lucy Njegovan

A Case Study of Pasadena: Planning Urban Forests for the Future of Climate Change
by Anaise Nugent

Procedural Equity and Greening Schoolyards: A Mixed Method Study of Proposition 84 Funded Projects in Los Angeles County
by Isabelle Russell

What Comes Next? Envisioning the Future of Oil Sites in Los Angeles
by Emma Silber

Individual and Institutional Interconnectedness: Exploring Student Attitudes and Behaviors Surrounding Water Conservation at Liberal Arts Colleges
by Aya Sugiura

How Politics, Policy Networks, and Finance Intersect to Shape the Outcomes of Affordable Housing Development: An Analysis of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Financing in Los Angeles
by Leah Sweeney

Two Worlds in Chinatown:  Authenticity and Identity in Urban Ethnic Enclaves
by Nathan Tam

Growing Up: An Exploratory Study of CEA Technology in the Urban Food Landscape
by Gillian Tarrant

Assessing Primary Uses and User-Identified Benefits of Food Forests: A Study of Beacon Food Forest
by Irene Wickwire

Contact Urban & Environmental Policy
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute

1882 Campus Road