Sally Harrison is an architect, urban designer, educator, and scholar whose creative work and research explore the social impacts of design in underserved communities.
She is the director and co-founder of The Urban Workshop, an interdisciplinary university-based collaborative that undertakes research, design, and design-build projects in neighborhoods where questions of social justice, creative expression and community building are played out in the physical environment. In her teaching, Harrison seeks to engage students in the complex mosaic of urban places, offering both experiential and theoretical frameworks to guide human-centered design practice.
Harrison’s work is published in books and peer-reviewed academic journals and has been recognized in been recognized in national, international and regional Design Awards programs including the American Institute of Architects (AIA national); Social Economic Environmental Design (SEED); and AIA Pennsylvania. Personal awards include the Leverage Award and the Alan Greenberger Award from AIA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative. Her work is supported by grants from Temple University; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Pew Charitable Trusts; the United States Environmental Protection Agency; the United States Department of Education and numerous local nonprofit organizations.
Harrison is a registered architect and member of the AIA. A founding member of the Community Design Collaborative of Philadelphia, she serves currently on its Advisory Council. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Village of Arts and Humanities.
Education
MArch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1979
BA, Magna Cum Laude, with Distinction, University of Pennsylvania, 1974
Selected Work
Harrison, S. (2025) “Art and Other Appropriations: Reconstituting the Street as a Work of Life” (Book Chapter) in Gregory Marinic and Pablo Meninato, eds., About Streets: Perspectives on Urbanism, Architecture, and Placemaking. (Springer: New York) pp.521-533
Harrison, S. (2021) "Tactical Urbanism Where it Matters: Small Scale Interventions in Underserved Communities" in Lilliane Wong and Nick Heywood, eds., Interventions and Adaptive Reuse: A Decade of Responsible Practice.(Birkhauser:Basel) 2021, pp. 176-183.
Harrison, S., Edwards D., & Mullin, S. (Eds.). (2018, Fall). Building (in) Equity. Context Journal of
AIA Philadelphia. Philadelphia, PA: AIA Philadelphia.
Harrison, S., & Jacobs, A. (2016). Gentrification and the Heterogeneous City: Finding a Role for
Design. The PLAN Journal: Design for Social Impact, 1(2), 239-260.
Harrison, S. (2014), “In-Between: Places of Resilience in the Post-Industrial City” in Markus Berger, Damien White and Lilliane Wong, RISD, eds., Int/AR Journal Volume 5 on Resilience and Adaptability, (Birkhäuser: Boston, Berlin) 32-39.
Harrison, S. (2013). Project 1800. In D. Hinson, D. & J. Miller (Eds.), Designed for Habitat:
Collaborations with Habitat for Humanity (pp. 118-131) New York, NY: Routledge.
Harrison, S. (2011). Uncovering the Human Landscape of North Philadelphia. In T. Agnotti, C. Doble, & P. Horrigan (Eds.), Learning in Design and Planning: Education at the Boundaries (pp. 21-38).Oakland, CA: New Village Press.
Selected Awards
AIA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative
The Alan Greenberger Award AIA Annual Awards Program, 2022
The Community Design Collaborative
Leverage Award for Leadership in Transformative Community Design, 2021
AIA Pennsylvania
Architectural Excellence Awards Program, Honor Award, 2014
Social Environmental Economic Design (SEED)
Award for Excellence in Public Interest Design Honorable Mention, 2012
AIA Pennsylvania
Architectural Excellence Awards Program, Citation of Merit Award, 2009