SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 1 | Page
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
SOL PRICE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
PPD 619 | SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL - POLICY DEBATES AND
PLANNING SOLUTIONS
CPA 210 Wednesdays – 6PM to 9:20PM
Office Hours: By Appointment
CO-INSTRUCTORS
Melani Smith Woodie Tescher
Director of Regional Development Principal, Planning + Urban Design
Gateway Cities Council of Governments PlaceWorks
213.479.0719 805.405.5712
COURSE DESCRIPTION
How land is used has evolved with the changing needs of human civilization. The practice of managing
this process was formalized in the US during the early 1900’s through the creation of local zoning laws
that segregated land uses. This was a distinctly Modernist approach to the problems of what was the
new Industrial economy. The Sustainability era represents a departure from the reductionism of
Modernism to move towards a more interconnected, relational and systems-oriented economy and way
of thinking. Through this transition the focus on ‘place’ and how land is used continues to be the central
feature of the Urban Planning profession. However, the professional tools and methods for how to
manage and use land are evolving quickly to respond to new kinds of problems and needs.
As an early step in this direction, “Smart Growth” emerged as an off-the-shelf set of policy tools that
translated and standardized the ideas of Sustainability for the various land use practitioners. Originally
focusing mainly on the relationship between mobility and land use. It helped to refocus the debate in
communities from growth vs no-growth, to how to achieve a more sustainable form of development.
Today, Smart Growth policy tools continue to evolve, but there are also many other ideas and practices
that are emerging as our understanding of Sustainability advances. Our class will investigate the many
ways Sustainability has informed the tools, methods, and mechanisms of land use planning and
implementation. It will also explore where the practice is headed, where current tools fall short, and ask
students to suggest ideas or solutions for how the practice can evolve to more effectively enable a
sustainable future.
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CLASS FORMAT
Classes are structured around lectures from the professors and guest speakers and student discussion.
In general, a lecture will be conducted during the first half of the class to be followed by facilitated
student discussion of the current or the previous week’s lecture content. All students will be expected to
actively participate in the discussions. Lectures are supplemented with an extensive list on suggested
readings on Smart Growth and Sustainability. There are three assignments throughout the semester.
Reports will be presented during the class and must be submitted electronically to the professor prior to
its class presentation. As the emphasis of this class on Sustainable Land Use, we are looking for students
to aggressively pursue the objectives of Sustainability in their assignments and class participation.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are due at the start of class on the day they are due. Late assignments will be marked down
by one point for each 24-hour period they are late. If there is a medical emergency preventing you from
completing an assignment on time, to avoid a reduced grade you must show a doctor’s note or medical
documentation that demonstrates sufficient incapacitation. This documentation must come from a
certified medical doctor, not a wellness practitioner, naturopath, acupuncturist, herbalist or holistic
healer.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will receive an overview of the professional theory, practices and issues related to Smart
Growth, Sustainability/Sustainable Communities, and Land Use.
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend and participate in each scheduled class for the specified time period.
Absences may be excused by prior notification to the instructor orally or by e-mail.
ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING WEIGHT
1. Reading Summary – 10 %
a. Delivered verbally in class once. Students will be randomly assigned to one of several dates.
b. Deliver a 5-10 minute oral summary of one of the Related Readings from any week of the
Syllabus. Preferably you’ll choose a reading that is related to the topic on which you’ll focus in
your term project.
2. Student Term Project Presentations & Final Report – 75%
Part 1: Identify the location of your subject project, and one or more sustainability problem
impacting that community that you will address. Make a 5 minute Powerpoint Presentation in class
on September 21st. (15%)
Part 2: Describe the data and background research/context for the location and the sustainability
problem(s) you are addressing. Describe your vision for the solution to this problem and the goals
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 3 | Page
of the plan you are creating to address the problem. Make a 5 minute Powerpoint Presentation in
class on October 19
th
. Submit a written outline of the entire term project Plan document. (30%)
Part 3: Summarize your previous presentations, in order to refresh our memories and set the stage,
and review the policies, implementation actions and metrics you have identified in your plan to
solve the sustainability problem in your location. Present a 10 minute Powerpoint Presentation in
Class on November 30
th
or December 7
th
. Your final Plan document is due on December 7
th
. Your
presentation and final Plan should incorporate the feedback you received on your previous
presentations. (40%)
3. Participation (15%)
Students are expected to attend class, and participate in class dialogues consistently.
Grading Criteria
Student grades will be based on the following general criteria:
1. Consistent and productive class participation is required. Participation can be based on questions or
opinions about the readings or lectures, findings from class assignments, or insights from a student’s
own work or experience outside the classroom.
2. Comprehension of class materials and lecture presentations as demonstrated through class
participation and assignments.
3. Quality of critical thinking employed in research and assignments.
4. Skill in presentation, including oral and/or graphic presentations; ability to defend and support
positions effectively.
5. Approximate guide:
• A = your logic is well organized and easy to follow. Your approach is comprehensive. Your points
work together as a whole. Your subject matter is believable, the policy and program solutions
you suggest are practical and detailed, and have some basis in recognized best practices that we
have discussed in class.
• B = you do have some good points, but they were hard to follow and it wasn’t always clear that
your solutions were realistic, or how your ideas fit together overall, and/or there were gaps in
your logic.
• C = your points are not clear or consistent with the instruction. Your work is poorly written
and/or difficult to understand. Your solutions lack detail, are impractical, or lacking in basis to
recognized approaches we have discussed in class.
INCOMPLETE COURSE GRADE
A grade of IN Incomplete may be assigned as the final grade for the course when work is not completed
because of documented illness or other “emergency” occurring after the tenth week of the semester.
Arrangements for an IN and its completion must be initiated by the student and agreed to by the
instructor prior to the final examination. Marks of IN must be completed within one year from the date
of the assignment of the IN. If not completed within the specified time limit, marks of IN automatically
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 4 | Page
become marks of IX (expired incomplete) with the exception of thesis, dissertation, and non-letter-
graded courses, and are computed in the GPA as a grade of F (zero grade points).
ACADEMIC CONDUCT & SUPPORT SYSTEMS
Please see the Statement at the end of this Syllabus.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Listed guest speakers and order of lectures are subject to change.
CLASS READINGS
The syllabus lists reading materials related to each lecture that would enhance your understanding of
the course content. Some of the readings have been downloaded and posted on Blackboard, if you don’t
find them there, use the links on the syllabus.
COURSE OUTLINE BY WEEK
1) INTRODUCTION TO SMART GROWTH AND SUSTAINABILITY
Aug 24
th
a. Student Self-Introductions
b. Introduction to the class concept and format, syllabus, class procedures, reading list, class
assignments.
c. Lecture & Introduction Woodie Tescher: What is smart growth what are its characteristics, and
how does it impact the development of land?
d. Lecture & Introduction Melani Smith: Sustainability Definitions and Philosophies, Beyond Land
Use, Systems Thinking and Sustainable Communities
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ APA Policy Guide on Smart Growth, American Planning Association, 2012,
https://www.planning.org/policy/guides/adopted/smartgrowth.htm
+ This is Smart Growth, Smart Growth Network,
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2014-04/documents/this-is-smart-growth.pdf
Bruntland Report, Our Common Future, Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1987 pgs 11-
27
+ Laudato Si’ On Care for Our Common Home, Pope Francis Encyclical Letter on the Environment
+ Design with Nature, McHarg, Ian
2) DEFINITIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF SPRAWL AND SMART GROWTH
Aug 31
a. Lecture – Woodie
+ Historical evolution of development
+ Impacts of our development patterns
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+ The antidote: Smart growth (or is it?)
b. Review of Class Term Assignment – Melani
c. Student Q and A on Term Assignment
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Planning for Climate Mitigation and Adaption, PAS Report 602, Matt Buchin and Aaron Tuley,
July 2022, https://www.planning.org/publications/report/9250330/
+ The Unbearable Costs of Sprawl, The Congress for the New Urbanism,
https://www.cnu.org/sites/default/files/SPRAWL-RETROFIT-UNB_1.pdf
+ Home from Nowhere, Remaking our Everyday World for the 21
st
Century, James Howard Kunstler
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1996/09/home-from-nowhere/376664/
3) SUSTAINABILITY IN THE PLANNING PRACTICE
Sept 7
a. Guest Speaker: Los Angeles County, Our County Sustainability Plan / Climate Vulnerability
Assessment – Kristen Torres Pawling, Sustainability Program Director
Our County - Los Angeles Countywide Sustainability Plan (lacounty.gov)
b. Review Past Examples of Student Projects – Melani
c. Student Readings Summaries – Discussion of one reading per student, chosen from any week.
Five students will be chosen to present this week.
4) URBAN FORM & LAND USE
Sept 14
a. Lecture Woodie: Essential land use and urban form principles for smart growth: Community-
wide; infill, and urban edge/greenfields
b. Defining Terms: Vision, Goals, Policies, Implementation Actions, Metrics
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Urban Rx, Nate Cherry, http://urban-rx.com/
+ The Ahwahnee Principles for Resource Efficient Communities, Local Government Commission,
http://www.lgc.org/wordpress/docs/ahwahnee/ahwahnee_principles.pdf
+ The Ahwahnee Principles for Economic Development, Local Government Commission,
https://www.lgc.org/wordpress/docs/ahwahnee/economic_principles.pdf
+ The Ahwahnee Water Principles, Local Government Commission,
https://www.lgc.org/wordpress/docs/ahwahnee/ahwahnee_water_principles.pdf
+ The Ahwahnee Principles for Climate Change, Local Government Commission,
http://www.lgc.org/wordpress/docs/ahwahnee/climate_change_principles.pdf
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5) STUDENT TERM ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATIONS PART 1:
Sept 21
a. Student 5 min Presentations: The Location & The Sustainability Problem
6) MOBILITY AND PARKING
Sept 28
a. Guest speaker: Jeremy Klop, Principal, Fehr & Peers
b. Lecture Woodie: Rethinking our Streets
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Boarnet, Marlon, Douglas Houston, Jeongwoo Lee, Hilary Nixon, and Steven Spears. Changes in
Service and Associated Ridership Impacts near a New Light Rail Transit Line. 2017
+ Blumenberg, Evelyn, Michael Manville, and Brian D. Taylor. Falling Transit Ridership: California
and Southern California. Prepared for SCAG by UCLA ITS, 2018
+ The High Cost of Free Parking, Don Shoup
http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/PrefaceHighCostFreeParking.pdf
+ Mobility Plan 2035, City of Los Angeles Planning Department,
http://planning.lacity.org/documents/policy/mobilityplnmemo.pdf
+ SB 743 Transportation Metrics, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research,
7) HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Oct 5
a. Guest: Miguel A. Vazquez, Healthy Communities Urban Regional Planner, Riverside University
Health System
b. Lecture Melani: Building Healthier and Environmentally Just and Equitable Places
c. Student Readings Summaries – Discussion of one reading per student, chosen from any week.
Five students will be chosen to present this week.
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ American Planning Association Healthy Communities Policy Guide
https://www.planning.org/publications/document/9141726/
+ SB 1000 Implementation Toolkit: Planning for Healthy Communities, California Environmental
Justice Alliance and PlaceWorks, https://caleja.org/2017/09/sb-1000-toolkit-release/
+ Plan for a Healthy Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles Planning Department,
http://healthyplan.la/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/PlanforHealthyLA_Web-11.pdf
+ ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative, Intersections: Health and the Built Environment, 2013
+ Building Healthy Places Toolkit: Strategies for Enhancing Health in the Built Environment, Urban
Land Institute, 2017
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8) GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
Oct 12
a. Guest Speaker: TreePeople, The Urban Tree Canopy (Ariel Lew ai Le Whitson, Director of
Education and Community)
b. Lecture Melani: Green Infrastructure: Waste, Water, Energy, Open Space, & Smart Cities
c. Student Readings Summaries – Discussion of one reading per student, chosen from any week.
Five students will be chosen to present this week.
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Green Infrastructure Opportunities and Barriers in the Greater Los Angeles Region, 2012 GREEN
INFRASTRUCTURE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, US EPA and Council for Watershed Health
Los Angeles, CA
+ Foster, Josh, Lowe Ashley and Winkleman, Steve. The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban
Climate Adaptation, The Center for Clean Air Policy, 2011 – Executive Summary
+ Policy & Research – TreePeople
– many research reports addressing the urban tree canopy and
its relationship to thermal conditions in urban areas
9) STUDENT TERM ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATIONS PART 2:
Oct 19
a. Student 5 min Presentations: The Data, Background Research, The Vision, The Goals
b. Written Term Paper Outlines Due
10) BUILDINGS & REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT
Oct 26
a. Guest Speaker: Kate Diamond, FAIA, HDR
b. Lecture Woodie: Designing sustainable buildings, Evolution of building construction typologies,
The Alternative: Green building rating systems and criteria (LEED BED+C/AP)
c. Initial verbal feedback on Term Assignment outlines.
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ United States Green Building Council Website (Description of LEED programs) BD+C/AP
LEED: Better Buildings Are Our Legacy (usgbc.org)
Living Building Challenge: Living Building Challenge | Living-Future.org (living-future.org)
+ List and Descriptions of Green Building Ratings Systems: http://uli.org/wp-content/uploads/ULI-
Documents/Building-Healthy-Places-Toolkit.pdf
+ L.A. Under the Influence: The Hidden Logic of Urban Property, Roger Sherman
+ Density: Drivers, Dividends, and Debates, Urban Land Institute,
Density: Drivers, Dividends and
Debates | ULI Americas
+ Industry Outlook for Reinventing Cities
http://urbanland.uli.org/development-business/industry-outlook-reinventing-cities/
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11) OPERATIONALIZING IDEAS: IMPLEMENTING THE LESSONS LEARNED
Nov 2
a. Lecture Woodie: Municipal roles and tools in implementing sustainability/ Joint Partnerships
Government and the Private Sector
b. Student Readings Summaries – Discussion of one reading per student, chosen from any week.
Five students will be chosen to present this week.
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ State of California General Plan Guidelines, 2017, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research,
http://www.opr.ca.gov/docs/OPR_COMPLETE_7.31.17.pdf
, pages 10- 25, 235 -245
+ Eco Districts Protocol Guide Version 1.2, Standard for Community Development
+ The California General Plan, David Early, Solano Press
+ Santa Monica Sustainable City Plan:
https://www.smgov.net/Departments/OSE/categories/sustainability.aspx
+ Institute for Local Government Guides http://www.ca-ilg.org/post/climate-action-plans-local-
examples
12) PARTNERSHIPS & EQUITY IN PLANNING—EVERYONE HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Nov 9
a. So LA Impact Director of Community Engagement, South Los Angeles Transit Empowerment
Zone (SLATE-Z), former: April Sandifer
b. Lecture Melani: Equity in Planning & Models for Community Partnerships for Sustainability
c. One on one feedback on Term Assignment outlines.
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Planning for Equity Policy Guide, American Planning Association, 2019
https://planning-org-uploaded-media.s3.amazonaws.com/publication/download_pdf/Planning-
for-Equity-Policy-Guide.pdf
+ Bell, Judith and Lee, Mary. Why Place and Race Matter: Impacting Health Through a Focus on
Place and Race, PolicyLink, 2011.
+ Public Counsel and Alliance for Community Transit LA, Planning for an Equitable Los Angeles: A
Guide to Shaping LA’s New Community Plans
+ California Integrated Climate Adaptation & Resiliency Program (ICARP), Defining Vulnerable
Communities in the Context of Climate Adaptation, Governor’s Office of Planning and Research,
2018
+ Confronting power and privilege for inclusive, equitable, and healthy communities - The BMJ
,
The British Medical Journal Opinion Section, April 16, 2020
+ Active Living by Design, Community Action Model
http://activelivingbydesign.org/about/community-action-model
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13) THE PUBLIC PROCESS
Nov 16
a. Lecture Woodie: The myths of sustainable smart growth, Overcoming the barriers, Effective
public engagement processes and tools
b. Student Readings Summaries – Discussion of one reading per student, chosen from any week.
Five students will be chosen to present this week.
c. Final Q and A on Student Projects
Related Readings (On Blackboard or Available to Download):
+ Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, State of CA, Defining Vulnerable Communities in the
Context of Climate Adaptation, 2018
14) Thanksgiving Holiday, No Classes
Nov 24
15) STUDENT TERM ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATIONS PART 3: FINAL
Nov 30
a. 10-15 min Final Student Presentations: The Location, The Sustainability Problem, the Analysis,
The Vision, The Goals, Policies, Implementation Actions, Metrics
16) STUDENT TERM ASSIGNMENT PRESENTATIONS PART 3: FINAL
Dec 7
a. 10-15 min Final Student Presentations: The Location, The Sustainability Problem, the Analysis,
The Vision, The Goals, Policies, Implementation Actions, Metrics
b. Final Papers Due
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 10 | Page
Recommended Books (To Purchase):
+ Smart Growth in a Changing World, Jonathan Barnett, Routledge, 2017
+ Guide to California Planning, William Fulton and Bill Shigley
+ The Environmental Planning Handbook for Sustainable Communities and Regions, Second
Edition, Tom Daniels, American Planning Association Planners Press, 2014
+ The End of Nature, McKibben, Bill
+ Costs of Sprawl, Routledge, Reid Ewing and Shima Hamidi, 2017
+ The Smart Growth Manual, McGraw Hill, 2010, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck
+ Sprawl: A Compact History, Robert Bruegmann
+ The Color of Law, Richard Rothstein, Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2017
+ Missing Middle Housing: Thinking Big and Building Small to Respond to Today’s Housing
Crisis¸Daniel Parolek, Island Press, 2020
+ Retrofitting Suburbia, Ellen Dunham Jones and Julie Williamson, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2009
+ Green Community, Susan Piedmont-Palladino and Timothy Mennel editors, American Planning
Association Planners Press, 2009
+ Blueprint for Greening Affordable Housing, Walker Wells and Kimberly Vermeer, Revised Edition,
2020
+ Developing Sustainable Planned Communities, Jo Allen Gause et al., Urban Land Institute, 2007
+ Eden by Design, The 1930 Olmsted-Bartholomew Plan for the Los Angeles Region, Greg Hise,
William Deverell Authors, University of California Press
+ The Los Angeles River: Its Life, Death, and Possible Rebirth (Creating the North American
Landscape), Blake Gumprecht, The Johns Hopkins University Press
+ Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv,
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
+ Cities in the Wilderness: A New Vision of Land Use in America, Bruce Babbitt, Island Press
+ Growing Smarter: Achieving Livable Communities, Environmental Justice, and Regional Equity,
Robert D. Bullard, ed., The MIT Press, 2007
+ Urban Sprawl & Public Health: Designing, Planning & Building for Healthy Communities,
Frumkin, Howard, Frank, Lawrence and Jackson, Richard, Washington DC: Island Press, 2004
+ Creating Healthy Neighborhoods Evidence-Based Planning and Design Strategies, Forsyth, Ann,
Salomon, Emily and Smead, Laura: APA Books, 2017
+ Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy and Resilient
Communities, Jeffrey Tumlin, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
+ Parking Reform Made Easy, Richard Willson
+ Pedestrian & Transit-Oriented Design, Reid Ewing and Keith Bartholomew, Urban Land Institute
and American Planning Association
+ The Arsenal of Exclusion and Inclusion. Armborst, Tobias, D’Oca, Daniel and Theodore,
Georgeen. Interboro, Actar Publishers, 2017.
+ Reclaiming Your Community: YOU DON’T HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO
LIVE IN A BETTER ONE. Carter, Majora, Berrett-Koehler Publishers Inc,
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 11 | Page
+ Building Communities from the Inside Out: A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community’s
Assets, John P. Kretzmann, John L. McKnight and
John L McKnight | Co-founder of the Asset-
Based Community Development Institute (johnmcknight.org)
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 12 | Page
Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
Academic Conduct:
Plagiarism – presenting someone else’s ideas as your own, either verbatim or recast in your own words – is a
serious academic offense with serious consequences. Please familiarize yourself with the discussion of plagiarism
in SCampus in Part B, Section 11, “Behavior Violating University Standards” policy.usc.edu/scampus-part-b
. Other
forms of academic dishonesty are equally unacceptable. See additional information in SCampus and university
policies on
Research and Scholarship Misconduct.
Students and Disability Accommodations:
USC welcomes students with disabilities into all of the University’s educational programs. The Office of Student
Accessibility Services (OSAS) is responsible for the determination of appropriate accommodations for students who
encounter disability-related barriers. Once a student has completed the OSAS process (registration, initial
appointment, and submitted documentation) and accommodations are determined to be reasonable and
appropriate, a Letter of Accommodation (LOA) will be available to generate for each course. The LOA must be
given to each course instructor by the student and followed up with a discussion. This should be done as early in
the semester as possible as accommodations are not retroactive. More information can be found at osas.usc.edu
.
Support Systems:
Counseling and Mental Health - (213) 740-9355 – 24/7 on call
studenthealth.usc.edu/counseling
Free and confidential mental health treatment for students, including short-term psychotherapy, group counseling,
stress fitness workshops, and crisis intervention.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 1 (800) 273-8255 – 24/7 on call
suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Services (RSVP) - (213) 740-9355(WELL), press “0” after hours – 24/7
on call
studenthealth.usc.edu/sexual-assault
Free and confidential therapy services, workshops, and training for situations related to gender-based harm.
Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX) - (213) 740-5086
eeotix.usc.edu
Information about how to get help or help someone affected by harassment or discrimination, rights of protected
classes, reporting options, and additional resources for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and applicants.
Reporting Incidents of Bias or Harassment - (213) 740-5086 or (213) 821-8298
usc-advocate.symplicity.com/care_report
Avenue to report incidents of bias, hate crimes, and microaggressions to the Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity,
and Title for appropriate investigation, supportive measures, and response.
SMART GROWTH AND URBAN SPRAWL: POLICY DEBATES AND PLANNING SOLUTIONS 13 | Page
The Office of Student Accessibility Services (OSAS) - (213) 740-0776
osas.usc.edu
OSAS ensures equal access for students with disabilities through providing academic accommodations and
auxiliary aids in accordance with federal laws and university policy.
USC Campus Support and Intervention - (213) 821-4710
campussupport.usc.edu
Assists students and families in resolving complex personal, financial, and academic issues adversely affecting their
success as a student.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion - (213) 740-2101
diversity.usc.edu
Information on events, programs and training, the Provost’s Diversity and Inclusion Council, Diversity Liaisons for
each academic school, chronology, participation, and various resources for students.
USC Emergency - UPC: (213) 740-4321, HSC: (323) 442-1000 – 24/7 on call
dps.usc.edu, emergency.usc.edu
Emergency assistance and avenue to report a crime. Latest updates regarding safety, including ways in which
instruction will be continued if an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible.
USC Department of Public Safety - UPC: (213) 740-6000, HSC: (323) 442-120 – 24/7 on call
dps.usc.edu
Non-emergency assistance or information.
Office of the Ombuds - (213) 821-9556 (UPC) / (323-442-0382 (HSC)
ombuds.usc.edu
A safe and confidential place to share your USC-related issues with a University Ombuds who will work with you to
explore options or paths to manage your concern.
Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice - (323) 442-3340 or [email protected].edu
chan.usc.edu/otfp
Confidential Lifestyle Redesign services for USC students to support health promoting habits and routines that
enhance quality of life and academic performance.
