The program combines graduate seminars in urban studies, politics, sociology, and public policy with hands-on experience in community-based research, policy design, policy analysis, advocacy and implementation. Graduates are uniquely equipped to formulate policy and initiatives for more equitable and vibrant urban areas, inspired through thoughtful engagement with the theory and practice of social justice. The MA-UPA program blends our two former programs, Urban Affairs (MAUA) and Public Affairs (MoPA) so the capstones represented here draw from that rich history.
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2023
Fighting for the Heart of the Mission District: Multiracial Community Organizing and Anti-Displacement Movements, AnaChristina Arana
Caring for Rural Hispanic/Latinx Foster Youth: Cultural Competency and Providers of Foster Youth Mental Health Services, Vidal Salgado Gonzalez
Investment Without Displacement: A Study of the Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors Initiative in East Oakland, Jeremy Mack
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2022
In “Plane” Sight: A Study of SFO’s Human Trafficking Intervention Sticker, Kendall R. Anderson
Our Streets: Increasing Equity in Active Transportation Planning through Community Outreach, Jordan Hoy
Solving for Affordability in the San Francisco Housing Crisis: Is California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) the Answer?, Matthew J. Mandich
Transformative Community Resiliency: The Impact of Organizing Against Oil in Richmond and Wilmington, California, Isabelle Sophia Marin
What’s Lunch Got to do With It?: A Case Study of California Policy, Educational Equity, and the First Statewide Universal School Meals Program, Rebecca Murillo
Private Choice, Public Impact: How the Choices of San Francisco Private School Families Impact the Public School System, Julia S. Roehl
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON COMMUNITY LAND HELD IN TRUST: AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, KEVIN S. TELLEZ RAMOS
Storytelling for Reproductive Justice: Finding Latinx Immigrant Voices in Intersectional Coalitions, Megan V. Wilensky
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2021
BUDGETARY OBSTACLES TO POLICE REFORM: THE CASE OF SAN FRANCISCO, Hayden Anderson
Closing Down the Hall: San Francisco’s Efforts to Redefine Juvenile Justice, Madison Bliss Holland
Planting Seeds for Success: An Evaluation of Agricultural Reentry Programming for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, David J. Jefferson
Evict the Speculators: An Analysis of Moms 4 Housing, Kendra N. Ma
Planting Power or Planting a Paradox? Urban Agriculture, Gentrification, and Community Development in Oakland, California, Elissa M. Mann
NEIGHBORHOOD REINVESTMENT: A CHANGING COMMUNITY IN THE URBAN SOUTH, Jackson Nutt-Beers
Affordable Housing in San Francisco: A Historical Analysis of its Finances and Policies, Ricky H. Tran
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2020
Black Pregnancy Matters: Racial Reproductive Bias in African American Maternal Mortality, Juhi Khemani
Driving Disruption: Assessing Uber's Corporate Identity in the Battle over Driver Classification, Benjamin Peterson
Deservingness in Welfare Programs: Connecting Unconditional Cash Transfers and Homelessness, Josh Steinberger
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2019
Understanding the Dynamics of Public Space: Zoning, Urban Design, and Use Value. A Case Study of Downtown San Francisco, Joaquin Cabello Silva
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2018
Protecting San Francisco Residents From The Wolves Of Wall Street: A Case Study, Jessica Lindquist
Theses from 2017
Policing That Matters: Making Civilian Oversight Work, Sofia Aguilar
Are We Out of the Woods Yet? How Democrats and Progressives Need to Rethink their Message Framework, Lauren E. Feuerborn
How Do You Mobilize Public Support for Infrastructural Investment in California’s Aging Water System?, Christine M. Hackett
The Intersection of Culture and Activism in the Filipino Community in SoMa, Ericka J. Martynovych
How Effective Is the San Francisco Unified School District in Educating Homeless Youth?, Gabriela Michel
San Francisco's Response to Sexual Assault: Pathways to Creating a Survivor-Centered Criminal Justice System, Bianca Rosen
Are Condo Owners Changing San Francisco's Voting Habits?, Jeno Cerri Wilkinson
People, Land, and Profit in the South of Market: A Critical Analysis of the Central SoMa Plan, David Woo
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2016
Veto Syria: Explaining the Power of the United Nations Security Council and the Syrian Refugee Crisis, Hanouf Khallaf
Theses from 2015
Submissions from 2014
Managing Budgets During Fiscal Stress: Lessons for Local Government Officials, Jeremy M. Goldberg and Max Neiman
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2013
Challenges for Good Government Reformers in California: Shadow Lobbying & Astroturfing, Scott Alonso
Social Marketing and California High-Speed Rail: A Framework for Behavioral Change Towards Sustainability, Spenser Dill
Silence to Signs: Bridging the Communiction Gap for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Inmates in Prisons, Kayleigh A. Marshall
A Case Study: Achieving Cultural Equity through the Lens of Kingdon, Maria X. Martinez
Partisanship and Opportunities for Additional Bipartisanship in Tech Immigration and Privacy Reform, Arielle E. Segal
Winning Hearts and Minds: Using "Ag-Gag" Outrage and Corporate Rebranding to Achieve a Public Image Makeover for the Animal Rights Movement, Alison J. Spasser
Master's Projects/Capstones from 2012
Lessons Learned: Can a Principled Mechanism for Improving Health Equity be Integrated into a Budgetary Process?, Maria X. Martinez Ms. and Maria X. Martinez Ms.
From 1994 to 2011: Are San Francisco Commissions More Representative?, Maria X. Martinez, Esin Nacar, and Aimee Nichols
California High Speed Rail - The Broken Tracks of Communication, Nathalie Nguyen
