Theses

MCP students are required to produce a thesis that addresses an environmental policy or planning topic. Students take a thesis preparation course to learn the basics of research design and to develop their thesis proposal. Throughout the development and preparation of the thesis, students are supervised by a member of the DUSP faculty. Some examples of EPP MCP topics  (with links to their abstracts) are as follows:

• Arpels, Marisa. 2008. Using Climate Policies and Carbon Markets to Save Tropical Forests: The Case of Costa Rica.
• Burgess, Jess. 2008. Simulating Some of the Travel Impacts of Transit Station Parking.
• Christenson, Andrea. 2011. You Can't Always Get What You Want: Managing Recreational Use in the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
• Co, Roni. 2008. Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC): Does it Give Indigenous Peoples more Control over the Development of their Lands in the Philippines?
• Corson-Rikert , Tyler. 2011. The Role of Science in a Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Process for Water Management in Massachusetts.
• Dineen, Kate. 2011. Reading the Tea Leaves: The Tea Party, the Conservative Establishment, & the Collapse of Climate Change Legislation.
• Esquivel, Maricarmen. 2011. Coastal Development Decision-Making in Costa Rica: The Need for a New Framework to Balance Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts.
• Farrell, Leanne. 2010. Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation into Urban Development: Lessons from Two South African Cities.
• Foltz, Kim. 2010. Waiting for the Interurban: The Politics of Light Rail Planning in Seattle.
• Hammitt, Sarah. 2010. Overcoming Barriers to Green Infrastructure.
• Hayek, Carolyn. 2009. Maintaining Rainwater Harvesting Practices in Southern Lebanon: The Kaza of Tyre.
• Heilke, Ingrid. 2010. Citizen Implementation of Sustainability Measures at the Neighborhood Scale.
• Henschel, Rachel. 2009. Carbon Capture and Storage in the U.S.: A Sinking Climate Solution.
• Horne, Chris. 2010. Mixed-Use at the Landscape Scale: Integrating Agriculture and Water Management as a Case Study for Interdisciplinary Planning.
• Jensen, Bjorn. 2010. Brownfields To Green Energy: Redeveloping Contaminated Lands With Large-Scale Renewable Energy Facilities.
• Katich, Kristina Noel. 2009. Urban Climate Resilience: A Global Assessment of City Adaptation Plans.
• Larsen, Walker. 2008. How Green Was My Electricity? Designing Incentives to Co-optimize Waste Management and Energy Development in New England.
• Lassiter, Allison. 2009. Assessing Land Conservation Strategies: The Case of the Florida Everglades.
• Lemphers, Nathan. 2009. Alberta Bound: The Interface Between Alberta's Environmental Policies and the Environmental Management of Three Albertan Oil Sands Companies
• Lightman, Deborah. 2011. Community-Based Social Marketing and Sustainability at the Neighborhood Scale.
• Lloyd, Stephen. 2011. Is Florida's Growth Management Act Protecting Agricultural Lands?
• Lynch, Patrick. 2010. Political Obstacles to Adopting Congestion Pricing In New York City.
• Mackres, Eric. 2010. Collaborative Methods in Social Movement Organizing: A Case Study of Long-term Alliance Development and Energy Efficiency Planning in Massachusetts.
• Madden, Sarah. 2010. Choosing Green Over Gray: Philadelphia's Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Plan.
• Martin, Amanda. 2011. Social Equity in Urban Sustainability: Strategies and Metrics for Baltimore and Beyond.
• Paul, Evan Thomas. 2010. Projections, Politics, and Practice in Regional Planning: A Case Study of MetroFuture.
• Peckett, Haley Rose. 2009. Land Use and Climate Change in Miami-Dade County.
• Schenk, Todd. 2009. Finding the Higher Ground: Assessing Contrasting Approaches to Planning for Climate Change Induced Resettlement.
• Stern, Stephanie. 2011. Motivating Homeowners to Invest In Energy Efficiency.
• Sylvester, Kathleen R. 2009. New Priorities for Old Roads: Re-Thinking Roadway Preservation.
• Takemoto, Shoko. 2011. Moving Towards Climate-Smart Flood Management in Asia: A Comparative Study of Bangkok and Tokyo.
• van Maasakkers , Tijs. 2009. Environmental Restoration in the Atchafalaya Basin: Boundaries and Interventions.
• Zhang, Jiyang. 2010. Energy Consumption and GHG Emissions in the Residential Sector in Urban China