Dr. Elizabeth Greenspan

Biography

Elizabeth Greenspan is a writer and urban anthropologist whose articles and essays on cities, architecture, public space, and real estate have appeared in a range of prominent publications including Architect Magazine, The New Yorker, and Bloomberg Businessweek. She is the author of the book 'Battle Ground Zero', published in 2013 by St. Martin’s Press, which explores the politics and commerce surrounding the World Trade Center site. From 2016 to 2018, Greenspan served as a Senior Researcher at PennPraxis, where she investigated civic infrastructure in cities across the United States, focusing on aging parks, libraries, and recreational centers. Her work has led to the development of influential white papers for the William Penn Foundation, analyzing civic asset reinvestment and the sustainability of civic infrastructure. Greenspan is an active speaker on topics related to cities and architecture, and has been featured on several media platforms, including NPR and CSPAN. She has taught writing at Harvard University and urban studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Greenspan holds a PhD in Anthropology, a graduate certificate in urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Anthropology from Haverford College.

Research Interests

Experience