Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
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Plater-Zyberk in 2015
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| Born | December 20, 1950 Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Occupation | Architect and urban planner |
| Known for | University of Miami architecture professor, advocate of New Urbanism |
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk (born December 20, 1950) is a famous architect and urban planner. She also teaches at the University of Miami in Florida.
She is known for her work in a style called New Urbanism. This is a way of designing cities and towns to be walkable and friendly. It focuses on creating neighborhoods where people can easily walk to shops, schools, and parks. Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk also helped start a design company called DPZ CoDesign in Miami.
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Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Her father, Jozafat Plater-Zyberk, was also an architect. Her mother, Maria Meysztowicz, taught French at Villanova University.
Elizabeth went to Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr for school. She then studied architecture and urban planning at Princeton University. She earned her first degree there in 1972. Later, she got her master's degree in architecture from the Yale School of Architecture in 1974.
Designing Communities and Buildings
In 1977, Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk helped create a design firm called Arquitectonica. She started it with her husband, Andrés Duany, and other partners. This company was known for its bold and modern building designs. One of their buildings, the Atlantis Condominium, even appeared on the TV show Miami Vice.
In 1980, Plater-Zyberk and Andrés Duany started their own company, DPZ CoDesign. This firm became a leader in the New Urbanism movement. They focused on designing traditional towns and making existing suburbs better places to live.
DPZ CoDesign became famous in the 1980s for designing Seaside, Florida. This was a new town built with walkable streets and a community feel. Since then, her firm has designed over 200 new towns and community projects. They help create places where people can live, work, and play easily.
Teaching and Leadership Roles
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk has taught at the University of Miami School of Architecture since 1979. In 1988, she started a special program for students to learn about designing suburbs and towns. She wanted to explore how cities grow and change.
From 1995 to 2013, she was the dean of the university's School of Architecture. As dean, she brought in famous architects to design buildings for the school. She also helped organize many design projects for communities in South Florida. In 2008, she was honored by the University of Miami with the Iron Arrow Honor Society award. In 2014, she received an Arts & Culture Award.
For ten years, Plater-Zyberk was a trustee at Princeton University. She led the university's Building Committee during a time of much construction. She helped choose architects like Robert Venturi and Frank Gehry for new university projects.
Awards and Publications
Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is a founder of the Congress for the New Urbanism. This group was started in 1993 to promote walkable, mixed-use communities. She has also taught at many major architecture schools across North America. She has received several special awards and honorary degrees.
In 2001, she and Andrés Duany won the Vincent Scully Prize. This award recognized their important work in shaping American cities and towns. In 2008, she was appointed to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. This group advises the government on art and architecture.
She has also written several books. These include The New Civic Art and Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream. These books share her ideas about how to design better communities.
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk para niños
