Real estate developer Sonny Astani has donated $17 million to USC to advance the study of “megacities.”

For Astani, the need for such study became apparent when he started developing the Concerto complex on Figueroa Street, a 619-unit project in downtown Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reported. “There really are no guidelines, so I had to learn a lot of new things,” said Astani, who earned his master’s degree from USC in 1978.

The process convinced Astani, the president of Astani Enterprises, that a new generation of engineers was needed to tackle future projects in Los Angeles and other big cities. His gift is prompting USC’s engineering school to name an engineering department after him and dedicate it to the study of urban areas that have 10 million or more residents.