Emrys Jones

Emrys Jones (1920-2006) was Professor of Geography at the London School of Economics and a renowned author and consultant in the fields of geography and urban planning.

Biography

Youth

Emrys Jones was born to Samuel and Anne Jones on August 17, 1920, in Aberdare, Wales, on the rim of the south Wales coalfield, when the coal and iron industries were about to begin their decline. He was ecuated at the Aberdare county school for boys.

Marriage & Tertiary Studies

He was married to Iona, of Anglesey, and in 1938 went to Aberystwyth University, then a small college of about 700 students at the forefront of the British development of geography. Majoring in geography and anthropology, he took a particular interest in the geography of cities. He became a pacifist, and spent the second world war serving as an orderly in a cancer hospital and working as an ambulance driver.

After the war he completed an MSc (1945) and PhD (1947) at Aberystwyth. He was duly appointed to an assistant lectureship at University College London (1947-50), followed by a lectureship and time as a senior lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast (1950-58). In 1959, he became reader in social geography at London School of Economics (LSE), and a professor (1961-84).

London School of Economics

While at LSE he formed a productive relationship with Professor Michael Wise. He published his "Social Geography of Belfast" in 1960, and his studies of "the spatial component of human behaviour" resulted in his edited "Readings in Social Geography" of 1975. He published an "Atlas of London" with D.J. Sinclair, producing his first maps in 1968. Other works included "Human Geography" (1964), "Towns and Cities" (1966), "Man and his Habitat" (1971), "The Future of Planning" (with Evan Zandt, 1973) and "Introduction to Social Geography" (with J. Eyles, 1977), as well as many journal articles. He became an international consultant in town and regional planning schemes, was involved in the work of the Council for National Academic Awards, and advised polytechnics which were introducing degree courses.

Honours

Jones was honoured with the "Victoria medal" of the Royal Geographical Society, of which he was a vice president. He was also awarded an honorary fellowship of the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and received honorary degrees from Queen's, Belfast, and the Open University in 1990. In 2003 he was elected a senior fellow of the British Academy.

Retirement

Jones continued to write throughout his retirement, producing "Metropolis" in 1990. Passionate about his Welsh identity since his youth, Jones gave more time to Wales in his retirement. He served as chairman (1983-89) and then president of the council of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (1989-2002), and edited and wrote "The Welsh in London" in 2002. He was received into the Gorsedd of Bards at the National Eisteddfod in 2005.

Death

Jones died August 30, 2006, aged 86, and was survived by his wife Iona and daughter Catrin. Another daughter, Rhianon, predeceased him.

References

* Elliot, John. [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/news/story/0,,1872949,00.html Emrys Jones: A founding spirit of social geography.] The Guardian. September 15, 2006.