Cities of the North
Cities of the North, Jones the Planner, Adrian Jones and Chris Matthews, Five Leaves Publications, 2016, 199 pages, colour illustrations, softback.
Jones the Planner’s previous critique of our changing townscape, Towns in Britain, was short on northern cities, and it is good to have this edition, devoted solely to the north. The authors follow in the footsteps of Ian Nairn, and demonstrate a similar passion and acerbic wit when describing the great achievements of the past, and some of the shortcomings of our own times. They feature nine cities, from Liverpool to Newcastle, supplemented by often quirky images, and conclude with some well-considered reflections which should be required reading for government ministers and city mayors.
This article originally appeared in IHBC's Context 162 (Page 57), published by The Institute of Historic Building Conservation in November 2019.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
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