Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk

2008 Driehaus Prize Laureate and Partner, DPZ

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk is a founding partner of DPZ, a Miami based firm with a focus on creating urban spaces that promote livable communities. Plater-Zyberk is also a co-founder and emeritus board member of Congress for the New Urbanism, a non-profit organization that focuses on creating vibrant communities where people thrive.  After beginning DPZ in 1980, Plater-Zyberk and her team gained recognition for their work on Seaside, Florida—America’s first new urbanist community.  From 1979-1995, Plater-Zyberk taught at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture where she would continue to serve as dean from 1995-2013.  In addition to her professional and academic achievements, Plater-Zyberk is also an accomplished essayist and author having published the book Suburban Nation: the Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream, and The New Civic Art in 2001.