Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Elizabeth Macdonald. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.
Elizabeth Macdonald studies public space design, focusing on challenging entrenched street design standards and norms that prioritize motorized vehicle movement. She evaluates implemented urban design plans and projects, emphasizing livability and environmental responsibility. Her recent book, Urban Waterfront Promenades (Routledge, 2018), presents 38 promenade case studies, analyzing physical form, social use, and the circumstances in which they were built, alongside the public policies that confronted threats from sea level rise. She is the author of Pleasure Drives Promenades: History Frederick Law Olmsted’s Brooklyn Parkways (Center American Places, 2012), co-author of Boulevard Book: History, Evolution, Design of Multiway Boulevards (MIT Press, 2002), and co-editor of editions of Urban Design Reader (Routledge, 2007 & 2013). Professor Macdonald publishes widely in academic journals, producing research papers for professional audiences on topics such as sustainable urban design and evaluating pedestrian quality on urban streets. She has contributed to notable urban design projects, including the design of Octavia Boulevard and planning for Abu Dhabi 2030. A registered architect, she previously taught at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia before her tenure at UC Berkeley.
University of California, Berkeley • Berkeley, CA
Taught courses in urban design at graduate and undergraduate levels, with a focus on studio courses.
University of Toronto • Toronto, ON
Conducted research and taught courses in urban design.
University of British Columbia • Vancouver, BC
Engaged in teaching and academic research in urban planning.
The Mathematics Subject GRE is required for the Fall 2026 admissions cycle. General GRE is optional.