Dr. Elizabeth Morton is a planning educator and consultant, specializing in urban design, cultural heritage, commemoration, and placemaking. She leads graduate studios in the Sustainable Urban Planning program at George Washington University.
She is the author of the first synthetic report on legacy businesses nationwide, Legacy Businesses: Emerging Directions (APA Planning Advisory Services, 2022, currently being updated), and is frequently asked to speak on legacy business efforts. She has also documented legacy businesses in Arlington, VA through oral histories and archival research.

Dr. Morton has worked for a variety of arts and preservation organizations, and as a consultant has conducted studies for institutions such as 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. From 2021-2024 she was the Evaluation and Research Consultant for the Beyond Granite initiative on the National Mall, and she is currently the Evaluation Consultant for an upcoming Monument Lab project commemorating a civil rights site in Mississippi.
Dr. Morton has a long track record of community service and leadership. She has been appointed to the Arlington County (VA) Planning Commission, the Arlington Public Art Committee, and numerous other advisory bodies.
She earned a PhD (City Design and Development) from MIT, an MCRP (Housing and Real Estate) from UNC–Chapel Hill, and a BA (Art History and English) from Williams College.