Kara Elliott-Ortega

Chief of Arts and Culture, City of Boston.

Kara Elliott-Ortega is an urban planner in the arts focusing on the role of arts and creativity in the built environment and community development. Prior to becoming the Chief of Arts and Culture, she served as the Director of Policy and Planning, where she worked on implementing Boston Creates, Boston’s ten-year cultural plan. She also worked at the intersection of arts and planning around the City, including supporting cultural districts, creative placemaking, and the development of cultural spaces for artists. Originally from Providence, Rhode Island, Kara received her bachelor’s from the University of Chicago and her Master in City Planning from MIT. Prior to the City of Boston, she worked with MIT’s Community Innovators Lab in a community ownership plan for Project Row Houses in Houston, and served as the Media and Communications Editor for the Society of Architectural Historians. Some of her past research includes an analysis of the local impact of artists and art production in Detroit following the 2008 recession, and the role of urban designers in complex problem solving in the Rebuild by Design Hurricane Sandy Design Competition.