Dr. Karen Frick

Associate Professor

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Biography

Karen Trapenberg Frick is an Associate Professor in the City and Regional Planning Department at the University of California, Berkeley, where she directs the Institute of Urban and Regional Development. Her teaching responsibilities include graduate and undergraduate courses on transportation policy planning, global cities, planning history, and dissertation research design. She has served as the academic lead for the College of Environmental Design's [IN] CITY summer program on sustainable city planning and is an expert in sustainable transportation and community-based planning. Her current research focuses on the perspectives of conservative property rights activists on urban planning and the responses from planners. She has received several accolades for her research, including the 'Best Paper of the Year' Award from the Journal of the American Planning Association. Additionally, she has co-curated a collection of essays titled 'Strengthening Planning's Effectiveness in a Hyper-Polarized World.' Her professional experience includes a previous position as a transportation planner at the San Francisco Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission, where she worked for nearly a decade on various initiatives related to transportation funding policy and congestion pricing.

Research Interests

Experience

Transportation Planner

— Present

San Francisco Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission • San Francisco Bay Area

Worked on various programs including the award-winning Transportation Livable Communities program, congestion pricing initiatives, and transportation funding policy.

Awards

#2016

Outstanding Faculty Advising Award

#2019

STEM Partner Award

Courses

Introduction to Urban Regional Transportation Planning Transportation Finance Transportation Planning Policy Transportation Land Use Studio Research Design Ph.D. Planning History Theory Global Cities [IN] CITY Summer Program Sustainable City Planning

Requirements for University of California, Berkeley

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
GRE Subject
Overall Score
Required:500
Overall
Required:500
TOEFL
Total
Required:90
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent Preparation comparable to undergraduate major at Berkeley in Mathematics or Applied Mathematics 2 full years lower-division work (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus) 8 one-semester upper-division courses (Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra)
Application Checklist
  • Graduate Application
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Personal History Statement
  • Three Letters of Recommendation
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • C.V./Resume
  • Course and Textbook List
Specialization Notes

The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.