The School of Urban & Regional Planning approach to research is interdisciplinary and multi-scalar. SURP faculty have produced nationally and internationally significant work in areas including: growth management; effects of sea-level rise on urban environments; disaster vulnerability, mitigation, and recovery; urban mobility; economic development; place-making and metropolitan form; and regional planning.

Integrating the student experience with high-level research activity is a core philosophy of SURP. MURP Research Fellows are designated research assignments on current faculty projects; The Center for Urban & Environmental Solutions utilizes SURP student research and assistance in many of its activities; and the curriculum of the MURP, BURP and BUD programs emphasize the attainment of critical research skills.

With two world-class research laboratories at hand (the VPT Lab and the South Florida metropolitan region) and a faculty made up of distinct and innovative expertise, SURP is positioned to be a global leader in urban, regional and planning-related research.