Walk the streets of Leeds with me. After a two-hour tour you’ll have a much richer understanding of the place than you’d get from just an App or a map because I have so many inside stories and a vivid way of telling them.
​
I’ve been learning about the city since starting to lecture in urban geography in the mid-90s and I’ve been involved in many events, research projects and debates about how the city evolves. I’ve been both participant and observer - inside history as it unfolds. But I'm a geographer, not a historian, so my approach is about explaining why we see what we see today, how the city is functioning and how it's facing up to the challenges of the future.
​
During my years as a lecturer at the University of Leeds (1994-2013) I gave many tours for students, visiting scholars and community groups.
​
I grew up mostly in Yorkshire, went away to do a degree and PhD in geography (my research was on Asians in British cities) and then I was a researcher in a London surveying firm.
​
Here's my CV. It includes the two books illustrated here. I draw on 'Leeds: Cradle of Innovation' for many of the tours.
​
Since 2013, I’ve been a freelance researcher, writer, editor and tour guide.
I moved to north Leeds in 2015. Visitors usually get at least the ‘tiny ten-minute tour of terraces’.
​
Here are some examples of published work on Leeds:
-
City Living Survey 2010 - collaboration with several firms of agents
-
A story about how Leeds could be in 2150
-
The report I compiled and edited about a collaborative research project on inner city Leeds
(Not formally published papers and book chapters because journal and book publishers hold copyright.)
This is a presentation giving an introduction to 'futures thinking' and how it could help Leeds:
Visions for the Future of Leeds: How could global, national, regional and local trends influence the way Leeds develops?
​
​
