Urban planner Kyle Ezell has developed a course to teach suburbanites the "skills" required for downtown living. It promotes the "ruppie", or "retired urban people" lifestyle.
"Kyle Ezell thinks more Americans would live downtown if they only knew how. It's an acquired skill, he says, like ballroom dancing or trigonometry.
'People take golf lessons because they've never done it before,' says Ezell, an urban planner in Columbus, Ohio, who has worked on the redevelopment of several cities' downtowns. 'People have never lived in cities before. My mission is to teach people how.'
So he's giving lessons. He's developed a course for suburban empty nesters and retirees that not only teaches how to pick a city retirement destination, but also the finer points of such urban needs as sensible walking shoes, the right bag for grocery shopping, how to tool around on a motor scooter, even how to hail a cab."
Thanks to Mark Dravillas, AICP
FULL STORY: Helping cities lure more 'ruppies'
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
A California property owner took El Dorado County to state court after paying a traffic impact fee he felt was exorbitant. He lost in trial court, appellate court, and the California Supreme Court denied review. Then the U.S. Supreme Court acted.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.