Ralph Ochsner earned his Bachelors in Sociology and Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of Oklahoma. He is also a member of the Board of Visitors for both the Regional and City Planning program and the College of Architecture. He is also a Charter Member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Born in Frederick, Oklahoma, Ralph Ochsner began his career as a city planner in Stillwater, Oklahoma after graduating from the University of Oklahoma. He then moved to Independence, Missouri in 1963 to become the city’s Director of Planning. Four years later he became Kansas City’s Director of Planning.
In 1969, Ralph left that position to create his own private planning consulting firm, Ochsner & Associates, which focused on comprehensive plans, community plans, redevelopment planning, community planning department assistance and ordinance writing.
In 1979, Ochsner & Associates acquired the landscape architecture firm of Hare & Hare. Hare & Hare was originally founded in Kansas City in 1910 by Sid Hare and his son, Hebert. Hebert Hare was a landscape architect who studied under Frederick Law Olmstead at Harvard University.
After acquiring Hare & Hare, Ochsner & Associates became Ochsner Hare & Hare and began to offer landscape architecture services in addition to planning. Ochsner’s firm has been involved in countless planning and landscape architecture projects in Kansas City and the Midwest region.
Neighborhoods designed by Ochsner Hare & Hare were characterized by broad sidewalks set far back from the street to make pedestrians feel safer. Ralph was also known for his technique of rehabbing a “demonstration block” of homes to show surrounding residents in the neighborhood the benefits of following new neighborhood plans.
Ralph Ochsner and Hans Butzer, Dean of Gibbs College
John C. Harris, director of the OU Division of Regional + City Planning said, “Ralph Ochsner has always pursued the highest aspirations of the planning profession, aiming to create livable and healthy communities.” Harris continued, “He is a cherished member and friend of the OU Regional and City Planning family and his career has been an inspiration to alumni for years.”
In 2014, Ochsner Hare & Hare merged with Olson Associates, who has nearly 30 offices in the Midwest and Southeast and is a multi-practice engineering and design firm. More recently, Ochsner Hare & Hare has been helping small towns in the Midwest effected by natural disasters and economic decline set up new financial mechanisms to improve infrastructure, create amenities, and help property owners make needed repairs.
In 2017, Ralph retired after a successful, 60-year career, entrusting the firm to a group of nine partners.
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
