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. This website is a repository of projects that were initiated while she was an Associate Professor of Practice in the Urban Affairs and Planning Program at Virginia Tech (National Capital Region).

Dr. Morton has taught in the Sustainable Urban Planning graduate program at George Washington University since 2023.

Dr. Morton has worked for a variety of arts and preservation organizations. She has particular expertise in commemoration, having conducted studies on the topic for the National Capital Planning Commission, National Park Service, Trust for the National Mall, and Monument Lab. From 2021-2024, she was the Research and Evaluation Consultant for the Beyond Granite initiative; her Key Findings report was published in June 2024.

In her consulting work, she has also authored reports for organizations such as the World Bank, UNESCO, the Metropolitan Institute, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Urban Arts, and Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

She has a special interest in promoting and supporting longstanding independent businesses and has spoken widely on legacy business initiatives. She authored the first national study of legacy business programs, published by the American Planning Association in 2021.

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. She served on the Executive Board of the American Planning Association’s Urban Design and Preservation Division from 2015-2022.

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).