Ph.D. Projects

PH.D. PROJECTS

The faculty members supporting the CRP program have diverse research and teaching interests in a broad range of topics and geographic areas and scales. We conduct sponsored research projects, engage in community-based research and practice, and contribute scholarly publications in several areas, including International Planning and Development, Social Justice and Diversity in Planning, Environmental Justice and Sustainable Urban Infrastructures, and Urban Design and Land Development.

INTERNATIONAL PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Our program has a strong history of international research and teaching in planning. Our faculty members and students conduct studies in South Asia and Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America, on projects within the areas of urban redevelopment, environmental management, housing, water provision in informal settlements and community-based planning. Our faculty also offer seminars in international development and planning theory and lead students on service-learning courses Latin America and China. In addition, Ph.D. students have the opportunity to work with outstanding international scholars throughout the university and take advantage of the largest Latin American Studies institute in the country.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND DIVERSITY IN PLANNING

Our program leads in scholarship on social justice, diversity and race in planning. Faculty members address issues of justice and diversity in their coursework, they are active in community engagement and activist scholarship, and they regularly develop studio courses in partnership with residents in communities in Austin and beyond. These efforts include research and teaching on environmental justice, affordable housing, and access to affordable transportation. Our students also find support for their work in UT departments and institutes committed to activist scholarship, including the Center for Mexican-American Studies, Institute of Latin American Studies, and Center for Sustainable Development.

ENVIRONMENTAL PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE URBAN INFRASTRUCTURES

Our program is particularly strong in the related areas of environmental and land-use planning, urban ecology, affordable housing development, and sustainable transportation planning. Our faculty and students conduct cutting-edge research on urban water services, green infrastructure, scenario planning, travel behavior decision-making, and housing provision.

URBAN DESIGN AND LAND DEVELOPMENT

Our faculty members work closely with the programs in Urban Design, Landscape Architecture, Sustainable Design, and Architecture to provide our Ph.D. students with opportunities to pursue rigorous and sophisticated training and research in urban design and development. Our students are conducting pioneering research on such design-related issues such as the significance of urban form for public health, the role of green infrastructure design for physical activity, and urban densification and its implications for affordable housing and poverty alleviation in Mexico and Colombia.