Richey Piiparinen

Richey Piiparinen is the Director of Urban Theory and Analytics at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. His focus is on the cultural, psychosocial, and demographic changes in Rust Belt cities, particularly as they relate to  economic and community development.

Richey hold's a Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Roosevelt University in Chicago and a Master's of Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University. His essays on cities have appeared in the Atlantic's City Lab, Huffington Post, the Daily Beast, Cleveland Magazine, and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, and his research has been highlighted in various outlets, including CBS Evening News, NPR's Morning Edition, the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN the Magazine.

Richey is a contributing editor to New Geography, and he is co-editor of the book "Rust Belt Chic: A Cleveland Anthology". He was a member of Crain's Cleveland 40 Under 40 in 2015 and was one of Cleveland Magazine's Most Interesting People in 2014. Currently, Richey is writing a book on the psychosocial influences of policy making in Rust Belt cities, with a focus on Cleveland.