Becoming an urban morphologist: Jeremy W. R. Whitehand

Abstract

This paper examines the origins underlying J. W. R. Whitehand’s emergence as an urban morphologist. Attention is paid to Whitehand’s early years, beginning with his initial life experiences, his BA and PhD theses at the University of Reading, and his innovative way of addressing settlements with a distinctive emphasis on buildings. His professional encounter with M. R. G. Conzen in Newcastle in the early 1960s exposed him to a teaching method in which dialectics and fieldwork played a prominent role, and a research framework rich in descriptive and analytical concepts (exemplified in studies of Whitby, Alnwick and Newcastle) that appealed to his interests and opened numerous possibilities for systematic inquiry. Finally, the paper briefly places in context Whitehand’s more mature years in Glasgow and Birmingham, highlighting his substantive and institutional contributions to the development of urban morphology as a field of knowledge.