Dr. Elizabeth Morton is a planning educator and consultant, based in Washington, DC.

For over 15 years she has taught seminars and studios on topics related to urban design, sustainability, historic preservation, creative placemaking, and Washington, DC, along with client-based studios. She currently teaches in the Sustainable Urban Planning graduate program at George Washington University.

From 2021-2024, she was the Research and Evaluation Consultant for the Beyond Granite initiative led by the Trust for the National Mall in partnership with the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Park Service. This Mellon Foundation-funded project seeks to elevate underrepresented stories in Washington DC’s commemorative landscape. The Key Findings report was published in June 2024.

Dr. Morton has long been actively involved in urban planning and revitalization issues in her community. From 2017-2022 she was an appointed member of the Arlington County Planning Commission and has also served on the Arlington Public Art Committee and the Arlington Cultural Facilities Task Force. From 2010-2016 she was an appointed member of the Fairfax County Revitalization Advisory Group, a member of the McLean Pedestrian Task Force, and a board member of the McLean Revitalization Corporation, serving as President from 2012-2015.

Dr. Morton is on the Executive Board of the American Planning Association’s Urban Design and Preservation Division.

Dr. Morton has worked for a wide variety of arts and preservation organizations, and as a consultant in planning and design has conducted studies for institutions such as the Trust for the National Mall, the National Capital Planning Commission, the National Park Service, the World Bank, UNESCO, the Metropolitan Institute, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Urban Arts, and the John F. Kennedy School of Government.

She has served as a review panelist for DESIGNArlington and the US EPA National Award for Smart Growth Excellence and has previously been appointed to the Oakland (CA) Strategic Plan Task Force, the California Governor’s Preservation Task Force Incentives Committee, the Oakland Percent for Art Advisory Committee, and the Somerville (MA) Arts Council.

Dr. Morton earned a B.A. from Williams College (English and
Art History), an MCRP from UNC-Chapel Hill (Housing and Real Estate) and a Ph.D. from MIT (City Design and Development, subfield Cultural Policy).