Parsons The New School for Design announced today that urban designer William Morrish has been apponted dean of the School of Constructed Environments, which houses Parsons' programs in architecture, interior design, lighting design, and product design. He will take over decanal duties from interim dean Laura Briggs on July 1.

A licensed architect, Morrish comes to Parsons from the University of Virginia School of Architecture, where as the school's first interdisciplinary professor, he taught and led research in the areas of sustainable urban infrastructure, new housing models, and global urbanization and climate change. His work has recently focused on addressing what he calls the "second generation of sustainability": the design of cultural ecologies. "Bill's experience working across disciplines and his personal commitment to examining the social implications of design make him an ideal choice for this position," said Parsons dean Joel Towers in a statement issued today. Click below to listen to Morrish, a former resident of New Orleans, give a 2006 talk about the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.