PAB accreditation affirms UTSA’s excellence in urban and regional planning education

MSURP graduates have been successfully joining the labor force as professional planners contributing toward solving urban challenges within several key institutions in San Antonio and beyond. Government institutions such as the City of San Antonio, VIA, the San Antonio River Authority and the Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, as well as private planning and engineering firms such as Stantec, Able City and MIG, are only a few examples of the places where UTSA Planning graduates are having big impact.

"This accreditation is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and staff to build an outstanding educational program and environment for our students," said Eric Brey, dean of Klesse College at UTSA. "The Urban Planning Program sets the standard in Klesse College for community engagement and service to San Antonio. With our location in the heart of San Antonio and faculty who are innovative problem-solvers, this accreditation not only strengthens our university - it also supports our city and surrounding communities by preparing students to be active citizens ready to lead change."

Since 2022, URP faculty have secured over $2 million in research funding, enriching student experiences through research assistantships while benefiting the local community with impactful projects.

This funding has boosted research collaborations and expenditures in key areas, such as a setting up a programable and participatory sensing testbed using scooters (ScooterLab), predicting demolition orders using machine learning intelligence, establishing community-engaged digital twins for housing repair in extreme heat conditions and quantifying the value of tree canopies in real estate transactions.

"There are a number of previous faculty that worked tirelessly to jumpstart this program and maintain it over the years, trailblazer faculty such as Dr.Richard Tangum, Dr.Maggie Valentine, Bert Moyer, Ernest Gerlach, Bill Barker, Dr. Francine Romero and more recently Dr. Albert Han, program administrator Dr. Greg Griffin and Professor Ian Caine have shown deep love and commitment to this program," López Ochoa said.

Many students have co-authored journal articles and presented their research at national and international conferences, earning recognition for their achievements. Notable examples include Samuel Rueda '24, who won first place in the Graduate Student Poster Competition at the 2023 Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning conference, and other students such as Allison Pineda '24 and Salomon Mendoza '25, presenting at prestigious events such as the International Urban Affairs Conference and the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, respectively.

The MSURP program is also unique as it is supported by the Nungesser Family Graduate Endowment Fund, which funds key student research and retention initiatives. The Nungesser Family Endowment Fund provides competitive scholarships making the program accessible for local and out-of-state students as well as waiving application fees for prospective students.

"Urban philanthropist Lisa Nungesser and her family have made sure that our program continues its mission to prepare planners to meet known and emerging urban and regional challenges, inspired by our values of collaboration, innovation and inclusiveness. We look forward to continuing serving the city of San Antonio and beyond from our new upcoming location at One Riverwalk Plaza," López Ochoa said.

Additionally, students interested in transportation careers have earned the esteemed Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship and have showcased their work at the TRB Annual Meeting.

The UTSA MSURP program emphasizes community engagement. Students have worked with local organizations, such as the Historic Westside Residents Association, to conduct housing condition surveys and environmental sensing campaigns, providing valuable insights into housing quality and environmental health.