William Morrish

William Morrish is dean of the School of Constructed Environments at Parsons The New School for Design. In 1994, William Morrish was hailed by New York Times architecture critic, Herbert Muschamp as “the most valuable thinker in urbanism today.” This is exemplified by his innovative public art plan for Phoenix, Arizona, which unites artists and public work engineers in the enhancement of the public realm. Morrish’s work approaches infrastructure as a cultural landscape — the connective safety net that knits citizens, public spaces, social institutions, cultural expression and the natural environment into multi-operational networks. His research work also involves the development of models for compact mid-density affordable housing within existing suburb and city neighborhoods. In collaboration with the Charlottesville Community Design Center director Katie Swenson, he is writing a book called Growing Urban Habitats, Re-Framing American Multi-Family Housing. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and the Harvard Graduate School of Design.