Urban Studies Tools & Resources
Overview || SD City Plans || Subject Headings || Indexes & Abstracts || Bibliographies ||
Newspapers || SD Urban Studies Websites || Journals || Statistical Resources ||
Historical Planning Resources || Class Guides
1. Get an Overview of Your Topic: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, and Other Sources for Background Information
| Cooper's Comprehensive Environmental Desk Reference. New York, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996. GE 123 .C64 1996 SSH Ref |
| Dictionary of Urbanism. Tisbury, Streetwise Press, 2005. HT 108.5 .C69 2005 SSH Ref |
| Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Thousand Oaks, Sage Publications, 2007, 2 vol. HT 123 .E49 2007 SSH Ref |
| Encyclopedia of Environmental Issues. Pasadena, Salem Press, 2000, 3 vol. GE 10 .E52 2000 SSH Ref |
| Encyclopedia of Housing. Thousand Oaks, Sage, 1998. HD 7287 .E53 1998 SSH Ref |
| Encyclopedia of Urban America The Cities and the Suburbs. Santa Barbara, ABC-Clio 1998, 2 Vol. HT 123 E5 1998 SSH Ref |
| Encyclopedia of Urban Planning. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1974 HT 166 E5 SSH Ref |
| Global Environmental Outlook. London, United Nations Environment Programme, 2002. GE 170 G58 2002 SSH Ref |
| International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. New York, Macmillan, 1968-1991 19 v. H 40 A2 I5 SSH Ref |
| World Resources A Report by the World Resources Institute and the International Institute for Environment and Development. New York, Basic Books, 2005 HC 10 W827 2005 SSH Ref Desk |
2. San Diego City, County & Neighborhood Plans
San Diego planning documents are excellent sources of information for the San Diego region. The most recent community plans for the City of San Diego can be found online on the City's website.
Selected current and historical plans are located in the San Diego documents collection in the Social Sciences & Humanities Library reference area. The general call number range is C400.P71. Use keyword searching in ROGER to locate plans in specific neighborhoods. Words and/or phrases in the keyword search section must be "anded" together, e.g. type "Pacific Beach and Plan" to retrieve planning documents for Pacific Beach. You may also wish to try searching under some of the following government agencies.
- San Diego Association of Governments
- Centre City Development Corporation
- San Diego Dept of Planning and Land Use
- San Diego Calif City Council
- San Diego Calif Planning Dept
- San Diego Chamber of Commerce
The San Diego City Public Library Catalog offers a virtually comprehensive database for San Diego city planning documents, as most San Diego city, county, and other regional agencies (e.g. the San Diego Unified Port District) are required to make this information public. Definitely investigate these resources if you are investigating an issue specific to the San Diego region.
3. Subject Headings for Books
One effective way of searching ROGER, the UCSD library catalog, is by using Library of Congress subject headings.
Subject headings are "controlled vocabulary" - specific terms assigned by librarians to classify library materials. When conducting a subject search, terms must be entered exactly the way they appear in the library catalog.
One way to find appropriate subject headings is to employ keyword searching. Go to the keyword section of ROGER and type in words that match your topic. When you find an item you like, scroll down to the bottom to find the subject headings. Click on the one that looks best to you to retrieve additional materials on that subject.
4. Indexes and Abstracts to Journal Articles and Book Chapters
The following Indexing & Abstracting services provide information for journal articles, books, and other information related to Urban Studies & Planning. Some of these services provide links to articles in full-text, while others provide citation information. Look for the 
button. UCe-Links gives information about how a specific journal article can be accessed.
It is important to remember that most journals are licensed commercial products purchased by UCSD or the California Digital Library (CDL). If you are accessing these databases from off campus, you will need to set up your computer for remote access. If you can't determine access from the specific database, check ROGER to obtain holdings information.
See the Sage Urban Studies & Planning page for more relevant databases and online resources.
| LexisNexis Academic |
| LexisNexis Congressional |
| Web of Science/Social Sciences Citation Index |
| Worldwide Political Science Abstracts |
5. Bibliographies
| Annual Review of Sociology, 1975- Palo Alto, CA. , Annual Reviews, Inc |
| Borderlands Sourcebook A Guide to the Literature on Northern Mexico and the Americas. Southwest. Ed. by Ellwyn R. Stoddard, Richard L. Nostrand, and Jonathan P. West. Norman, OK., University of Oklahoma Press. 1983. Includes extensive articles on border issues, in addition to bibliographies. F786z B67 1983 SSH Ref |
| Borderline A Bibliography of the United States-Mexico Borderlands. Barbara G Valk Los Angeles, UCLA Latin American Center Publications, 1988. F 786z V35 1988 SSH Ref |
| CPL Bibliography (Part of the Journal of Planning Literature), 1996- Chicago, Council of Planning Librarians. The only comprehensive guide to the planning literature. 1979-1995 available in print. HT166 C65 SSH 6th floor. |
| Information Sources in Urban and Regional Planning; A Directory and Guide to Reference Materials. Edward E Duensing New Brunswick, NJ, Center for Urban Policy Research, 1994 An excellent comprehensive resource. HT165 .5D87 1994 SSH 6th floor |
| Sage Public Administration Abstracts. Beverly Hills, Sage Publications, 1974-1998. JF1351 .S3 SSH Ref |
6. Newspapers
LexisNexis Academic The most comprehensive source of full-text newspaper articles at UCSD, offering thousands of full-text newspapers, newsletters, magazines, trade journals, as well as business information, law journals and court decisions. Coverage dates vary.
San Diego Union Tribune Search via Newsbank and retrieve full text of all articles from the Union-Tribune, from December 1983 - present.
North County Times Online Full-text access to the North County Times from December 2000 to the present. Excellent search features for a free Internet service.
NewsBank Full-Text Newspapers Dates vary. Full-text content of more than 2000 newspapers world wide (including 872 U.S. newspapers and 98 California newspapers): local and regional news, including community events, schools, politics, government policies, cultural activities, local companies, state industries, and people.
SSHL Reference Desk News Resources Consult this site for a full listing of news resources available to UCSD. Access to the main national newspapers (Christian Science Monitor, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post etc.) can be found here.
7. San Diego Urban Studies & Planning Websites
The San Diego Government Information Homepage hosted by the UCSD library is one of the more comprehensive listing of government agency websites in the region. Below are some of the more commonly requested pages that you may find particularly useful for your research.
- San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
- Centre City Development Corporation
- San Diego City Documents Online
- San Diego City Planning & Community Investment
- San Diego Dialogue
- Community Health Improvement Partners
- City of San Diego
- California Local Planning Documents Database @ Berkeley
The UCSD California Government Information homepages also may have links to sites of interest, including information on the California Legislature and selected California Government Agencies.
8. Journals
Access to for both print and electronic journal titles is through ROGER. Type in the title of the journal you want, and ROGER will provide the call number, and the issues owned by UCSD. If the journal is electronic, ROGER will provide the link to the electronic version.
Roger is recommended if one knows the name of the journal. However, users should instead use article databases (some listed above) to access the complete literature in their areas of interest.
Below are some examples of journals in Urban Studies and Planning and Environmental Policy. For a browseable list of electronic journals, consult the Urban Studies & Planning and Environmental Studies listings in SAGE, the UCSD Libraries' gateway to recomended websites.
Journal of Planning Literature. Columbus Ohio, Ohio State University Press, Includes the CPL Bibliography, the only regularly published bibliography of planning literature. Available online 1985-present.
Journal of Planning Education and Research. Cincinnati, School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, Available online 1981-present.
International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. London, Blackwell Publishers, Available online 1997-present, print 1977-2004.
SSH 6th floor HT 101 I57
Urban Studies. Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, Available online 1964-present, print 1964-present.
SSH 6th floor HT 101 U8
Journal of Urban Affairs. Boston, MA, Blackwell Publishers, Available online 1999-present, print 1983-2004.
SSH 6th floor HT 101 J65
Environment and Planning A. London, Pion, Ltd. Full Text online 2000-present, abstracts online 1969-1999, available in print 1969-1973
(SSH Annex HT 166 E55) and 1974-present (SSH 6th floor HT 166 E55)
Urban Affairs Review. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications, Available online 1964-present.
Urban History. Cambridge England, Cambridge University Press, Available online 1999-present, print 1992-present.
HT 101 U67
9. Statistical resources
American Factfinder
1990 and 2000 Demographic data from the Decennial Censuses, as well as U.S. Census Bureau current population estimates and data from the American Community Survey.
Census Guide from the UCSD Libraries
This guide covers the Decennial Census of Population and Housing from 1790 through 2000.
FedStats
Provides easy access to statistics and information produced by more than 100 U.S. Federal Government agencies.
LexisNexis Statistical
1973-present. Abstracts and indexes statistical publications of U.S. federal and state governments, nonprofit and educational institutions, and private publishers. Also international agencies.
San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Demographic resources
demographic, economic, land use, transportation and criminal justice information about the San Diego region.
SourceOECD
Full-text of books and journals from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as well as statistical data on a wide range of topics in economics, political science, environmental studies, and more.
United Nations Common Database (UNCDB)
Provides 442 economic, social, cultural, health, and demographic data series for countries of the world. Data providers include UN, UNESCO, FAO, WHO, IMF, UNICEF, ITU, and World Bank. Some indicators reach back as far as the 1940s.
World development indicators
Macroeconomic, social, and environmental data from the World Bank.
10. Historical Planning Resources
Urban Planning, 1794-1918: An International Anthology of Articles, Conference Papers, and Reports
Primary source material for the study of how urban planning developed up to the end of World War I, including information about techniques, principles, theories, and practice.
Index to early twentieth century city plans appearing in guidebooks. Santa Cruz, CA : Western Association of Map Libraries, 1978.
G1028.O84 SSH Ref
Index to nineteenth century city plans appearing in guidebooks. Santa Cruz, CA: Western Association of Map Libraries, 1978.
G 1028 .O843 1980 SSH Ref
San Diego Historical Society Website includes digitized collections related to the history of San Diego, including the full text archives of The Journal of San Diego History.
Contact Information
Rebecca Hyde
Social Sciences & Humanities Library
University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, 0175R
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
Phone (858) 534-4175
Fax (858) 534-7548
Email: rhyde@ucsd.edu