Karen Trapenberg Frick

Karen Trapenberg Frick is an Associate Professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and Director of the Arcus Social Justice Corps. She holds a Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. from UC Berkeley, UCLA Urban Planning, and UCLA Sociology, respectively. Her research focuses on sustainable transport, megaproject management, and political opposition to planning. Notable awards include the 2016 Outstanding Faculty Advising Award and 2019 STEM Partner Award.

Her work examines infrastructure projects like the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, exploring cost overruns and policy failures. She has authored books such as Remaking the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, which critiques megaproject governance. Frick’s teaching spans urban transportation policy, planning theory, and dissertation research design. She previously worked at the San Francisco Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission, contributing to transport policy and funding initiatives.

• Education:
  • Ph.D., UC Berkeley, City and Regional Planning
  • M.A., UCLA, Urban and Regional Planning
  • B.A., UCLA, Sociology
• Key Research Interests:
  • Sustainable transport innovation
  • Community-based planning
  • Political polarization in planning
  • Megaproject management and failure analysis
• Awards:
  • 2016 UC Berkeley Excellence in Advising
  • 2019 STEM Partner Award (CEDSOC & LIFgen)
  • Best Paper Award, Journal of the American Planning Association
• Grants & Partnerships:
  • Co-founder of Self e-STEM, a Bay Area STEM education initiative
  • Lead for CED's [IN]CITY summer program
• Labs/Teams:
  • Arcus Social Justice Corps (planning equity initiatives)
  • Collaborations with CEDSOC and LIFgen student groups