The LA-Osaka Comparative Urban Studies Program is a joint project between the University of Southern California (USC) and Osaka City University (OCU) to conduct research and provide useful comparative knowledge about the greater LA and Osaka metropolises, and also about their interaction as global cities on the Pacific Rim.

This website aspires to provide useful information not only to university researchers, but also to the general public and those interested in the economic development of these highly related metropolitan regions.

As part of the Center for International Business and Research (CIBEAR) at USC, this program provides opportunities for students of international commerce to study various aspects such as economic, urban, and historical development, political structure, cultural production, and transnational networks between these highly related metropolises of the Pacific Rim. The kernel of the program is a group of faculty in both universities with a common interest in social geography, economic geography, and the built environment.

This program was founded in January 2002, and in this initial stage we are focusing on gleaning useful information and creating comparable databases for Los Angeles and Osaka proper. Once we establish the foundation, we will be including the larger Los Angeles and Kansai regions in our project. Another important aim of the program is to provide graduate students the opportunity to study in an interdisciplinary as well as transnational environment.