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Get
Urban!
The
Complete Guide to City Living
My
first book jaunted me off to 50 cities studying their core neighborhoods.
I ended up with volumes of information but chose to write something
non-academic and fun. My goal of teaching people about urban
living will never be met if I wrote a boring textbook. Writing
and traveling and thinking about Get Urban! was a the best experience
of my life. And, of course, I named my firm after the book.
Book
description: "For millions who grew up in the
suburbs or spent their working lives on endless highways commuting
to and from, "Get Urban!" is a practical self-help
guide to transforming your lifestyle - from a complacent suburbanite
to an exhilarated urban dweller. City planner and dedicated
urban dweller, Kyle Ezell is determined to bring people back
to America’s urban centers where life is diverse and convenient.
After travelling throughout the U.S. doing urban reconnaissance,
he has identified 34 exciting cities that have the settings,
ambiance, architecture, housing choices, and opportunities you
crave - without the expense. He’ll help you determine
your "urban personality" - from sleek post-industrial
cultural community to gracious historic garden neighborhood;
from diverse, trendy arts area to "blank canvas" neighborhoods
in need of a rescue - and match your wants, needs, and aspirations
to the urban setting you crave. Then learn urban survival skills,
including searching for a city home, "schlepping,"
dealing with the threat of crime, preparing for unique urban
weather conditions, blending into your new neighborhood, even
how to walk again. More than 300 photographs, charts, quizzes,
and maps make "Get Urban" an illustrated journey deep
inside America’s revitalizing inner cities and a preview
of what you can expect if you dare to make the move to an exhilarating
urban lifestyle."
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"City planner and author Kyle Ezell will tell you that when
it comes to urban living, most people don't know how to match
their personality and tastes with a downtown neighborhood. Ezell,
who is the project coordinator for Urban Revitalization in Columbus,
Ohio, and author of 'Get Urban,' is a dedicated city-lover..
Ezell is also the founder of Get Urban America, an organization
devoted to revitalizing cities with new urban dwellers and ideas.
'Get Urban' is a primer for the would-be urbanite that begins
with a quiz to discover your true urban style."
Frances Ingraham Heins, Albany Times Union
"The Columbus, Ohio, planner believes his profession's fixation
on talk of zoning codes has distracted everyone from a more
urgent problem - getting suburbanites to notice that smallish
cities have neighborhoods capable of making even finicky sorts
happy. His book is a guide to cool city neighborhoods across
the country, including the Elmwood Avenue district..The former
Tennessee country boy writes to gently teach suburbanites how
to choose city neighborhoods to best fit their personalities..He
developed four categories of such city sections he calls 'urbs'
for their contained cluster of shops, parks, housing and other
assorted amenities that exist in cities he has profiled, including
Omaha, St. Louis, Wichita, Phoenix, Jacksonville and Buffalo."
Michelle Kearns, Buffalo News
"'Get Urban: The Complete Guide to City Living' by Kyle Ezell
shows how to live a fascinating urban life."
Publisher's Weekly, January 26, 2004
"Ezell's work has the feeling of a really well-intentioned championing
of American urban life."
Thomas Crone, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
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Reviews
for Get Urban!
"'Get
Urban' provides a smart, nuanced and on-the-money look at the forces
that are remaking this nation's urban centers. It is must reading
for those concerned with revitalizing American cities or making their
home there."
Richard Florida, Author, "Rise of the Creative Class"
"As America enters the 21st century, cities like Columbus are being
reborn. Thanks to the natural creativity, energy and community of
people who are rediscovering America in urban living, we are dispelling
the dire predictions of past decades. 'Get Urban!' captures the changes
in America's urban heart, as people's lives are shaping the future
of cities across the nation."
Michael Coleman, Mayor of Columbus, Ohio
"Another
useful book is 'Get Urban! The Complete Guide to City Living' by Kyle
Ezell. It is filled with information on the best urban neighborhoods
in any one of 35 cities in the US. Each is analyzed for its benefits,
along with tons of advice on how to make the most of urban life. If
you're thinking of moving to a new location, you will greatly benefit
from the data and insights provided on cities such as Los Angeles,
Baltimore, Jacksonville, Las Vegas and many others."
Alan Caruba, Bookviews
"For suburbanites who yearn to take up urban living, a Tennessee native
who grew up in a small town has written a book offering some guidance..
Ezell, a project coordinator for urban revitalization for the city
of Columbus, Ohio, clearly is a passionate and idealistic urban dweller....Ezell's
book lays out what to look for in urban neighborhoods, using layman's
language, not the urban planning-ese so often used to confuse neighborhood
people trying to figure out why a certain zoning restriction overlay
is needed."
Richard Lawson, The Tennessean
"In 'Get Urban: The Beginners' Guide to City Living,' Ezell helps
his readers determine which of four main types of urban settings,
or 'urbs,' is best for them..In his book, Ezell profiles 47 examples
of these four kinds of urbs that he has found in 35 American cities
which he deems desirable places to live...And he goes into urban survival
skills, including searching for a city home, dealing with the threat
of crime and, above all, learning the joys of walking instead of having
to drive."
Claudia Pearce, San Diego Union Tribune
"Kyle
Ezell probably wouldn't describe himself as an urban tour guide, but
if you've ever wondered if the asphalt is grittier on the other side
of the highway, he'd be the man to ask. The Columbus city planner's
first book, 'Get Urban!' (Capital Books), profiles 35 urban neighborhoods
by atmosphere, architecture and location. It's also a smart, accessible
reference manual for anyone interested in negotiating the uniquely
rewarding challenges of modern urban living. Ezell distinguishes
between suburban and urban landscapes (cartoon squiggles versus grids),
explains the potential indicators of a successful urban area (a businesses'
proximity to a street curb versus its nearness to a wireless zone),
and highlights some unusual side-effects to city living (the dreadful
tunnel effect of downtown high-rises)."
Nikki Davis, Columbus Alive
"Kyle
Ezell has written a timely and helpful reminder of the power of place
and the magic of cities. Get Urban! is a valuable 'return to the city'
guide that illuminates the many facets of city life and takes its
readers on a journey of rediscovery in our urban frontiers."
Carol Coletta, host and producer of public radio's "Smart
City"
"Reading this book will prepare you to make one of the most dramatic
and positive changes in your life. Living the lessons of this book,
you will become a contributing participant in the most phenomenal
turnaround America's cities have ever known."
Richard Sensenbrenner, Columbus City Councilmember
"The best and most complete book on Urban Living I have ever heard
of! This is a new book designed to teach Americans about the benefits
of city living, and an upcoming revolution...A coast-to-coast interest
in choosing to live, love, and...REGROW America's cities. Inspires
young people and old who are tired of the suburbs and ready for the
glittering lights of city living to "Get Urban!" and move back to
the city for community and cultural action. Helps people "Get Urban" by discovering their urban lifestyle in the kind of neighbor- hood
that fits their tastes, attitudes, and preferred environment."
www.Urbanliving2000.com, April 2004
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