News and Events

Planetizen Ranking

San Jose State University's Urban and Reginal Planning & Development Master's Program was ranked in the top 10 in the West Region by the Planetizen Guide to Graduate Urban Planning Programs' 7th Edition. Planetizen optimizes these rankings to attract talented young planners and help them find a career that matches their goals.

Elevating Black Voices in Urbansim - A Celebration of Black History Month at SJSU Urban Planning

Please join us on February 26th at 10am for an online event featuring a keynote by AICP President Mitchell Silver and a panel discussion with Rosalynn Hughey (City of San Jose), Jason Foster (Destination Crenshaw), Abigail Moriah (BPUA, Black Planning Project), and Lisa Cholmondeley (Gensler), moderated by SJSU graduate student and co-founder of SmartCohort, Carla Mays. This event is organized and sponsored by SJSU's Urban Planning Coalition, the Department of Urban & Regional Planning, the Institute for Metropolitan Studies, and TRANSITion SJSU, and the APA California Chapter Northern Section Diversity Committee.

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies presents The Valley of Heart's Delight

Join author Anne Marie Todd for a conversation about her new book, exploring the transformation of the Santa Clara Valley over the past one hundred years - from America’s largest fruit-producing region into the technology capital of the world. Todd describes Silicon Valley as a non-place, where weakened or disrupted attachment to place threatens the environment and community. This is an in-person event outdoors in the beautiful SoFA Pocket Park in Downtown San José.

URBP Virtual Open House on March 8th and 22nd

Join us on March 8 or March 22, 2023 at a virtual "open house" event on Zoom to learn more about our amazing programs and to get an opportunity meet Faculty and Students, and ask them about the programs and certificates URBP has to offer. Scan the QR code or click the box to register for either event. Hope to see you all their!!!

SAVi Talk: GISci and Mapping Applications for Environmental Studies and Sciences Research

In this SAVi GIS Talk event, we were honored to have two panelists (Dr. Serena Alexander and Dr. C.J. Gabbe) with a rich background in environmental studies and sciences research where they will share their recent research and findings and how mapping and GISci could support ENVS research. 

SAVi Talk: Public Participatory Panel Talk March 24

The Spatial Analytics and Visualization Institute (SAVi) of SJSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning in partnership with Mineta Transportation Institute, University of Central Florida, UC Davis, and Astronaut High School cordially invite you to Participatory Geography Research Panel with K12 Education March 24 4PM at San Jose Guildhouse. We have a team visit SJSU from the University of Central Florida and Astronaut high school with K12 teachers and students. We will share the costal mapping project using drones, GIS, and citizen science with K12 education supported by NSF RET. We welcome you to join and no RSVP is needed. 1. Opening and welcome 4:10 PM 1. Keynote speaker 4:20-4:45 PM - The Next Generation of Science Now: GIS and Drones with K-12 Teachers and Students. 2. Panel talk. 4:45 - 5:10 PM - Panel talk on participatory research with K12 education 3. K12 team lighting talk 5:10-5:30 PM - Astrounout High schools students and teachers talking about the experience for participatory research fieldtrip. 4. Open-floor Q&A 5:30 - 5:50 PM 5. Social hours. 5:50-7:00 PM

A Panel Talk on Google's Donwtown West Project in San Jose Diridon Station Area, 12/06, 6:30 PM, SJ Guildehouse

On 12/06 6:30pm the Spatial Analytics and Visualization institute (SAVi) of SJSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning is co-hosting a panel talk with the San Jose Downtown Residents Association and end of the semester gathering in SJ Guildhouse. This event includes a presentation, panel talk, networking with drinks and light refreshments. The panel includes Dr. Ahoura Zandi (SJSU URBP faculty), Lori Parks Severino (City of San Jose Diridon Station Program manager), Elizabeth Chien-hale (Downtown Residents Association president), Jessica Graham (Social Infrastructure Manager @ Google) and Tiffany Bohee (SVP and development director @ Landlease). 

The Spatial Contract: A book talk with IMS visiting scholar Alex Schafran, PhD

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies invites you to a special book event featuring IMS visiting scholar Dr. Alex Schafran in discussion with special guest Dr. Miriam Chion. Geographer and planning scholar Alex Schafran will present his newest book, The Spatial Contract: A New Politics of Provision for an Urbanized Planet. He will be in conversation with Miriam Chion, Community Equity Director in the San Francisco Planning Department and visiting scholar at UC Berkeley. 

Virtual GIS Day @ SJSU: Speaking of GISci Advances & Innovations

The Spatial Analytics and Visualization institute (SAVi) of SJSU Department of Urban and Regional Planning in partnership with Fehr & Peers mobility consultation firm, Tableau, SJSU eCampus, and Foothill College is delighted to welcome you to the 2021 celebration day of Geographic Information System Science (GISci) advances and education. 

A Reckoning in Boston

On Sept. 15th, 2021, the Institute for Metropolitan Studies presented a screening of this powerful documentary film about place-based organizing and reckoning with white privilege in the face of racial and economic inequalities. The film was screened outdoors at the SOFA Pocket Park, 540 S. 1st Street, followed by a livestream conversation with Director James Rutenbeck and special guest. The event was hosted by our community partner Veggielution and presented with support from SJSU's Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning, the Credential Program in Real Estate Development, and the College of Social Sciences.

Data Science and Collaborative Decision-making

On April 16, 2021, SAVi welcomed Department Chair, Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian, and Dr. Moira Zellner, Professor of Public Policy and Urban Affairs and Director of Participatory Modeling and Data Science in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Northeastern University, to discuss the application of participatory modeling and spatial analytics in projects that have become successful examples of community-driven planning.

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies presents Mindy Thompson Fullilove

On April 14, 2021, SJSU's Institute for Metropolitan Studies and the Department of Justice Studies hosted celebrated urbanist Mindy Thompson Fullilove who presented her newest book, Main Street (2020), and the others in what Andy Merrifield recently called her "urban trilogy" (2004's Root Shock and 2013's Urban Alchemy).

Jan Doering on Race, Crime and Gentrification

On March 24, 2021, SJSU's Institute for Metropolitan Studies and the Department of Justice Studies presented Dr. Jan Doering (McGill University) in conversation about his new book, US vs THEM: Race, Crime, and Gentrification in Chicago.

CA MEGAFIRES

On March 12, 2021, SAVi guest speakers discussed California megafires, the California Fire Hazard Severity Zone (CFHSZ) web map, and implication of CFHSZ data for examining asset impacts to the City of Los Gatos.

Virtual Department Open House

The Department Open House, a great opportunity for prospective students to learn about our programs and the many exciting career paths that urban planning and geography can open for you, was held on March 8, 2021. 

A People's Guide to the San Francisco Bay Area

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies welcomed Rachel Brahinsky and Alexander Tarr on November 19, 2020 to present their new radical guidebook to the Bay Area. The authors highlighted cultural and economic landscapes as well as rich political legacies, including indigenous resistance to colonial rule, interracial and cross-class organizing, and the often unrecognized labor of farmworkers and everyday people. 

GIS Day 2020: Mapping and Election

On November 18, 2020, SAVI and SJSU eCampus celebrated GIS Day 2020. This online event showcased a range of GIS and visualization techniques for exploring different aspects of our social challenges. Keynote speaker: Dr. John A. Curiel, Research scientist, MIT Elections Data and Science Lab on "Mapping Elections Performance Index." TechnologyTalk: Mr. Kurt Menke, Founder of Bird’s Eye View, FOSS4G educator, co-author of the GeoAcademy and author presented "The Best New Features of QGIS 3.X." Dr. Jennifer Redd, SJSU eCampus Director, shared SJSU Resources for GIS Education.

Student Story Map Competition

Participants created an ArcGIS Story Map that conveyed a contemporary topic in an informative and engaging manner. Prizes and certificates were awarded for the most intriguing maps at graduate and undergraduate student levels. Judges from Bay Area colleges and universities selected the winning entries, and students were honored at SJSU's GIS Day event on November 18, 2021.

Secret Spirits and Secret Spaces

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies is partnering with Catalyze SV to present a conversation with Casie Kifer about her book, Secret San Jose: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure.Join us as we bring the community together through storytelling about our region. Friday, October 23, 2020.

Ensheng Dong and the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Dashboard

The Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning is excited to welcome Ensheng ‘Frank’ Dong of Johns Hopkins University. A doctoral student at the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Hopkins, Dong has played a large role in building the highly regarded Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Dashboard. Friday, October 1, 2020.

MTI Research Snaps: The American Roadtrip Reconsidered

Reexamining the road trip through a historical lens can inform the work of transportation professionals – especially in the context of the mobility revolution, social justice reform, and pandemic shutdowns. Co-presented by the Urban Planning Coalition, TRANSITion SJSU, and the Institute for Metropolitan Studies. Thursday, September 17, 2020.

Samuel Stein: Housing, Gentrification, and the Real-Estate State

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies and the Certificate Program in Real Estate Development present author Samuel Stein, San Jose Housing Director Jacky Morales-Ferrand, and Professor Shishir Mathur to discuss Stein's book and its lessons for the Bay Area. Monday, March 16, 2020.

Department Open House

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning invites new and prospective graduate students to explore a Career in Urban Planning! Monday, March 16, 2020.

Understanding How Women Travel

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Mineta Transportation Institute welcome distinguished panelists from across California to discuss a groundbreaking new study from LA Metro and Fehr and Peers. Presented with the Institute for Metropolitan Studies and SPUR. February 19, 2020. 

Adonia Lugo: Bicycle / Race: Transportation, Culture and Resistance

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies and TRANSITion SJSU present Dr. Adonia Lugo discussing her new book, bicycle politics, and mobility justice in our cities. November 4, 2019.

Seeking Solutions to the Affordable Housing Crisis

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies and the Rotary Club of San Jose present a panel of distinguished experts on housing and homelessness discussing how we can address the challenges facing our region. March 19, 2019.

Japonica Brown-Saracino: How Places Make Us

The Institute for Metropolitan Studies welcomes Dr. Japonica Brown-Saracino to present her book on queer communities in four small US cities and how places shape identities. May 2, 2018.