As an expert in planning theory and qualitative research methodologies, Dr. Elizabeth L. Sweet teaches at the University of Massachusetts Boston in the Urban Planning and Community Development Program and in the Department of Africana Studies. Dr. Sweet engages in collaborative community economic development with a focus on the links between economies, violence, and identities. Using feminist and anti-racist frameworks, her work in Native, Latino and Black communities in the U.S. and in Latin America has led to long term collaborations and inclusive projects that both push the boundaries of planning theory and methods while at the same time provides practical intervention practices for planners.
In recent publications she has proposed the use of body map storytelling and community mapping as innovative ways to co-create data with communities on a wide range of issues and different approaches for addressing to urban problems. Theoretically, these methods create awareness that enables planners and communities to re-envision the relationships between people and their environments and see the visceral, historical, and spiritual bonds. These new understandings promote new practices.
Dr. Sweet has also been very active in promoting diversity and inclusion within university settings through organizing events, student recruitment, and publishing both research and teaching articles on the same. She is popular among students to whom she provides extensive mentorship and guidance.