Cities of the North (Five Leaves Publications) is a new book by Adrian Jones – town planner and urban designer – with LSFM Lecturer in graphic design and local historian Chris Matthews. They have a book launch on 30th June and you are invited, 7.00pm-8.30pm, to Five Leaves Bookshop in Nottingham. RSVP: bookshop@fiveleaves.co.uk 

From Jones the Planner: ‘Cities of the North takes an irreverent and often amusing look at the changing townscape, special character, architecture and planning of the great Northern English cities. It explores the process and politics of development and ‘regeneration’ which is reshaping Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Newcastle amongst others, always focusing on the intrinsic character of place.’  

“The book is also a product of the friendly and supportive environment at LSFM – without that the whole project would have been quite impossible.”  

Chris Matthews, Lecturer/Designer 

 

The book is a companion to Towns in Britain (2014), published by Five Leaves, and is said to build on the popular Jones the Planner blog: ‘Cities of the North reviews both the successes and lost opportunities of recent years and considers the implications of the emerging Northern Powerhouse plans for the conurbations.  The book is inspired by and follows in the footsteps of Ian Nairn who opened so many people’s eyes to an appreciation of cities, their often unexpected delights, qualities, possibilities and potential. Like Nairn, Cities of the North shows a passion and affection for these places and an appreciation of their all too often undervalued qualities.’