Faculty and Staff
Faculty, Webmaster
Assistant Professor
Graduate Coordinator
Dr. Dina Abdul Karim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. She is also an Artist, Architect, and Urban Designer. Her research interests focus on creative placemaking and restorative environments.
Professor
Chair, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
Dr. Gwen Urey is a Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Her research interests include broad areas relating to planning for non-transportation infrastructure: she has published book chapters on telecommunications and ports.
Faculty
Assistant Professor
So-Ra Baek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. She teaches demography and statistics for planning, GIS for planning, research approaches to planning, and local transportation planning.
Lecturer
Joe Catalano is a licensed architect who teaches urban design-related courses in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning. Primarily a practitioner in architecture, planning and historic preservation, his past teaching has included Syracuse University and Washington University in St.
Professor
Co-Director, California Center for Land and Water Stewardship
Dr. Delgado is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning and is a co-director of the California Center for Land and Water Stewardship (CCLAWS).
Assistant Professor
Brian Garcia, Ph.D., is an urban designer with experience on large development projects in the United States, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan and Malaysia. His current research interests include internationalism, active transport environments and comparative urbanism.
Associate Professor
Dr. Alvaro Huerta is an Associate Professor in Urban & Region Planning (URP) and Ethnic & Womenâs Studies (EWS). As an interdisciplinary scholar, Dr. Huerta teaches and conducts research on the intersecting domains of community & economic development, Chicana/o & Latina/o studies, immigration & Mexican diaspora, social movements & social networks and the informal economy.
Lecturer
Shawnika Johnson, AICP, MURP, has over 20 years of experience in community development, urban planning, project management, economic development, and public engagement.
Lecturer
Dr. Yonsu Kim has served as a clinical data analyst at government agencies and a researcher at KDI, a leading think tank in Asia. He has interdisciplinary academic backgrounds including planning, economics, sociology and health policy.
Professor
Dr. Kim's research and practice focus on sustainable transportation planning including active transportation, land use/transportation scenario planning, and GIS applications.
Lecturer
Annette Koh's research and practice is focused on placemaking and the politics of public participation.
She/her/hers pronouns.
Lecturer
Nicole is an architect with experience in urban design, public housing, and private institutions, with a particular focus on environmental design. Nicole received an M.Arch. from Yale University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Urban Planning from UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs.
Professor
Dr. Mitchell teaches planning law, environmental planning, and seminars. His research concerns property rights and ecological integrity.
Lecturer
A proud product of Cal Poly Pomona, Steve Preston’s focus includes policy administration, historic preservation and communications. He received the APA President’s Award in 2016 for Leadership in the Planning Movement.
Lecturer
Brettany Shannon, Ph.D., is an urban planning and development scholar who studies how people use digital communications for urban and social placemaking.
Lecturer
Dr. Abhishek Tiwari typically teaches courses on Globalization, Infrastructure, Research Methods as well as introductory courses in Urban Planning and associated labs. Dr. Tiwari’s published research includes papers, professional reports and book contributions on housing policy (NIMBYism, Housing Prices); poverty (food security and poverty); community-based governance structures (neighborhood councils); and public health (low birth weight, sustaining community involvement in health improvement).
Lecturer
Dr. Frank Wen is the Manager of Planning Strategy Department since July 1, 2020 with Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG). Previously Dr. Wen was Manager of Research and Analysis between 2012 and June 2020.
Professor
Richard Willson's recent publications include A Guide for the Idealist: Launching and Navigating Your Planning Career (Routledge 2017), Parking Management for Smart Growth (Island Press 2015), and Parking Reform Made Easy (Island Press 2013). Dr. Willson's research addresses parking policy, climate change planning, transit-oriented development, planning theory, and professional development. He writes a bi-weekly blog for the American Planning Association concerning idealism in the environmental design professions. Dr. Willson teaches regional transportation planning, climate change planning, planning theory, policy analysis, and professional practice. Click on my name (above) for more details.
Lecturer
Richard Zimmer AICP is a full-time adjunct faculty member in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning.
Staff, Webmaster
Interim Administrative Coordinator
Lydia Dolan has worked in various professional environments at different capacities, from legal assistant at a criminal law firm, to property manager in the affordable housing industry.