In 1929, the USC School of Citizenship and Public Administration opened its doors, becoming one of only two programs of its kind in the nation.

In addition to offering a degree in public administration, the School of Citizenship and Public Administration included classes in urban and regional planning from the outset, which eventually led to the urban and regional planning degree and school at USC.

In 1971, the Irvine Foundation gave its first USC grant to establish an endowed chair in urban and regional planning.

The School of Urban and Regional Planning formed a graduate program in real estate development in 1985, and founded the Lusk Center for Real Estate Development in 1988 with a private donation, with naming rights, from John Lusk and his family.

The Lusk Center for Real Estate Development was reorganized into Lusk Center for Real Estate, a university-level research unit jointly administered by USC Price and the USC Marshall School of Business.