Larry Witzling, Ph.D., senior planner and urban designer at Milwaukee-based GRAEF, has created a career around the belief that “all places can be beautiful and that the enjoyment of those places is not solely reserved for a few, but for all,” said Justyce Dixon, corporate marketing and communications leader at GRAEF.

Witzling has acted on this belief through his private practice, his professorship at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and community efforts. He has been involved in sustainability issues for more than a decade, has worked on several sustainable building and planning projects and has worked on neighborhood sustainability issues in Racine, Kenosha, and Milwaukee. He has spoken about sustainable housing design and has taught continuing education classes on sustainable development.

“Not only has Larry put his expertise to practice in shaping Milwaukee’s urban design history, but he also has coached thousands of students to seek excellence in their planning careers,” said Dixon. “At UW-Milwaukee, he was the quintessential ‘pracademic.’ He brought the world into the classroom to immerse students in real-life scenarios and guide their maturation as thinkers, planners and designers. Larry appreciated the free thought that exists at universities and found ways to harness that unbridled creativity. He continues these efforts today as professor emeritus. Larry has never differentiated professional practice from education; as a dedicated student, he believes that theory is alive and can evolve to better serve communities.”