香港六合彩中特网

Ruth Glass (1912-1990) is a key writer and thinker for a wide range of debates and approaches central to Urban Studies. Perhaps best known for coining the term 鈥榞entrification鈥� in 1964, her work encompassed important and often foundational contributions to urban sociology, migration studies, community planning, race relations, comparative urbanism and much more.

Ruth Glass was based at 香港六合彩中特网 for over three decades and was founder of the Centre for Urban Studies. In its explicitly cross-disciplinary and cross-Faculty institutional structure and commitment to engaged and mixed-methods work on London and beyond, the Centre for Urban Studies can be understood as an important predecessor to the 香港六合彩中特网 Urban Laboratory.

Yet there are very limited resources, at 香港六合彩中特网 or elsewhere, that have been compiled documenting Ruth Glass鈥檚 writing and legacies 鈥� especially in comparison to many leading male urbanists of the 20th century. These webpages seek to begin to rectify this and not only better acknowledge her pioneering role in urban scholarship but help point to ways her often prescient work can continue to resonate with and critically inform future urban engagement. As she wrote in one of her last pieces from 1988:

The old fears and fantasies which the very term 鈥渦rban鈥� evokes in many parts of the world are once again powerful. Dusty dogmas, though often dressed up in a new obtuse verbiage, are still influential. Nor have the old utopian dreams become extinct.

Details here (see links below) were compiled by Alexander Salem, Thomas Tzortzi, Gemma Romaine and Sam Johnson-Schlee, and coordinated and assembled by Dr Andrew Harris with Dr Clare Melhuish.

This work is ongoing: do please contact urbanlaboratory@ucl.ac.uk if you have any further material, corrections or suggestions.

Key Resources

In terms of biographical details to Ruth Glass鈥檚 life, the best account currently, written by Anne Pimlott Baker in 2004, is found in the but requires a subscription to view. Michael Edwards, a student and colleague at 香港六合彩中特网, has some reminiscences.

Cliches of Urban Doom, and Other Essays (1988), a compilation of Ruth Glass's writings from 1932 to 1988, provides an excellent initial overview to her work. The cover is 鈥楤urning City鈥� by the Berlin artist from 1913, the year after Ruth Glass was born in Berlin. Cliches of Urban Doom can be read via

Divya Subramanian wrote a superb account in 2020 in the New York Review of Ruth Glass's contributions to social science beyond simply 'gentrification': (registration required).

In 2014, to mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of London: Aspects of Change, Andrew Harris organised an event at 香港六合彩中特网 to 鈥榚xplore how its arguments, details and rationale are still relevant to thinking about and exploring twenty-first-century London鈥�. All the presentations can be listened to via the . Sam Johnson-Schlee, in a , draws closely on Ruth Glass鈥檚 introduction to London: Aspects of Change to develop a critique of urban epistemologies.

Other research that details key contributions to Ruth Glass鈥檚 work includes:

• Mark Clapson (2012): Anglo-American Crossroads. Urban Planning and Research in Britain, 1940-2010. Bloomsbury Press
• Kenny Cupers (2016) Mapping and Making Community in the Postwar European City. Journal of Urban History 42, 1009鈥�1028.
• Abby Gondek (2018) Jewish Women鈥檚 Transracial Epistemological Networks: Representations of Black Women in the African Diaspora, 1930-1980. Florida International University Thesis.

Obituaries:

• 鈥極bituary: Ruth Glass: A passionate sociologist鈥�, Eric Hobsbawn, 9 Mar 1990, The Guardian
• 鈥楢ppreciation: Ruth Glass: Gender politics at LSE鈥�, Hilary, 17 Mar 1990, The Guardian
• 鈥楻uth Glass: Penetrating academic research into far-reaching social change鈥�, 9 Mar 1990, The Times
• 鈥極bituary: Ruth Glass.鈥� Kenneth Leech. 13 Mar 1990, The Independent
• 鈥極bituary: Ruth Glass.鈥� John Westergaard 13 Mar 1990, The Independent

Publications

Key sources used to produce list below: 香港六合彩中特网 Explore, JSTOR, Taylor & Francis, LSE Library, ProQuest, Jisc Library Hub Discover, British Library and WorldCat

Books

Waitling: a survey of social life on a new housing estate, Ruth Glass (Durant), 1939, P.S. King

A Profile of Bethnal Green, Ruth Glass and Maureen Frenkel, 1946, Association for planning and regional reconstruction

The social background of a plan: a study of Middlesbrough, Ruth Glass, 1948, Routledge & Kagan Paul

Town and country planning textbook an indispensable book for town planners, architects, and students, Ruth Glass, Hans W Singer, William Graham Holford and Mark Abrams, 1950, London Architectural Press

Conferences on social policy and the social sciences, Group II: Design and planning--buildings, towns & countryside, Ruth Glass (Convenor) & Sir W. Holford (Chairman), 1953, British Sociological Association

Studies on Society, Ruth Glass and David Victor Glass, 1958, George Allen & Unwin Ltd

Newcomers: the West Indians in London, Ruth Glass assisted by Harold Pollins, 1960, Centre for Urban Studies / George Unwin Ltd

Urban Sociology, Ruth Glass, 1962, Routledge & Kagan Paul

Urban-rural difference in Southern Asia : some aspects and analysis : Report on Regional Seminar, Delhi, 1962, Ruth Glass, 1964, Allied Publishers (New Delhi)

London: Aspects of Change, Ruth Glass, 1964, MacGibbon & Kee

London鈥檚 housing needs: statement of evidence to the Committee on Housing in Greater London, Ruth Glass and John Westergaard, 1965, Centre for Urban Studies

Clich茅s of urban doom and other essays, Ruth Glass, 1989, Basil Blackwell

The birth of a monster : the growth of racist legislation since the 1950s, Ruth Glass and Kenneth Leech, 1990, Runnymede Trust

Book chapters and articles

SOCIAL ASPECTS OF TOWN PLANNING: the sociologist's job, Ruth Glass, 1945, The Architectural Review, EMAP Publishing

The Need for Figures: Estimating Housing Needs, Ruth Glass, 1947, The Architectural Review, EMAP Publishing

The Size of Dwellings. A memorandum, etc. (Reprinted from The Architects' Journal), Ruth Glass, 1947, Architects Journal

The social context of the New Towns, Ruth Glass, 1949, Architects鈥� Yearbook

Household structures and housing needs, Ruth Glass and F.G. Davidson, 1951, Population Studies: A Journal of Demography, Taylor and Francis

The Lansbury redevelopment in practice :three studies of its progress and effects, Ruth Glass, A.G. Sheppard & G.V.D Mills, 1951, Town Planning Institute

A Profile of Lansbury, Ruth Glass and John Westergaard, 1954, Town Planning Review, Liverpool University Press

URBAN SOCIOLOGY IN GREAT BRITAIN: A TREND REPORT, Ruth Glass, 1955, Urban Sociology / 香港六合彩中特网

The application of sociological knowledge to regional and town planning, Ruth Glass in: Transaction, World Congress of Sociology, 1961, World congress of sociology

Cuba Week, Ruth Glass, 1962, New Left Review

Insiders - Outsiders, Ruth Glass, 1962, New Left Review

The Centre for Urban Studies: Extracts from the Quinquennial Report, Ruth Glass, 1963, Town Planning Review, Liverpool University Press

Social Determinants of Housing Design, Ruth Glass, 1965, Official Architecture and Planning, Alexandrine Press

Coherent Many-Sidedness, Ruth Glass, 1967, Economic and Political Weekly

Housing in Camden, Ruth Glass, 1970, Town Planning Review, Liverpool University Press

Bengal Notes, Ruth Glass, 1971, Monthly Review

The Evaluation of Planning: Some Sociological Considerations, Ruth Glass in: A Reader in planning Theory, A. Faludi, 1973, Pergamon Press

The Mood of London, Ruth Glass in: London: urban patterns, problems, and policies, D. Donnison & D.E. Eversley, 1973, Heinemann

Exit Mrs. Gandhi, Ruth Glass, 1977, Monthly Review

Verbal Pollution, Ruth Glass, 1977, New Society

Foreword by Ruth Glass in: A new immigration policy, Ann Dummett, 1978, Runnymede Trust

Divided and downgraded: the downtrodden peoples of India [policies toward, and condition of, various scheduled castes and tribes; some emphasis on "protective discrimination" policies], Ruth Glass, 1982, Monthly Review

Gujarat: Divided and Degraded, Ruth Glass, 1982, Frontier

A Minority Government in Britain, Ruth Glass, 1983, Economic and Political Weekly

Newspaper Contributions

Key research sources included Gale Primary Sources and ProQuest. Please note sources were accessed with an institutional login. All sources below are listed chronologically.

Selected newspaper articles

鈥楾own planning and the social scientist鈥�, Ruth Glass, 14 Jun 1951, The Listener (London)

鈥楶lanning in practice: an inquiry into the control of "development"鈥�, Ruth Glass, 13 Jan 1954, The Times

鈥楢 versatile "advancer": ancestor of the welfare state鈥�, Ruth Glass, 17 Aug 1955, The Times

鈥楲ondon on the move: changes in travel to work over thirty years鈥�, Ruth Glass, 18 Jun 1956, The Times

鈥楲ondon on the move: need to reduce pressure of million commuters鈥�, Ruth Glass, 19 Jun 1956, The Times

鈥楾he new negro in the United States鈥�, Ruth Glass, 11 Dec 1958, The Listener (London)

鈥榃est Indian Search for Exits鈥�, Ruth Glass, 22 Nov 1961, The Times

鈥楢shes of discontent: Ruth Glass on Jamaica today鈥�, Ruth Glass, 1 Feb 1962, The Listener (London)

鈥楥ensus casts light on social change鈥�, Ruth Glass, 30 Jun 1965, The Times

鈥楾he settlers: where they live鈥�, Ruth Glass, 1 Jul 1965, The Times

鈥楾he new nonconformists鈥�, Ruth Glass, 26 May 1966, The Listener

鈥楴ot civil, but human鈥�, Ruth Glass, 22 Sep 1966, The Listener

Selected letters to newspaper editors

鈥楲ondon on the move鈥�, Ruth Glass, 12 Jul 1956, The Times

鈥楥ompulsory purchase鈥�, Ruth Glass, 28 Nov 1958, The Times

鈥楧ead end for planners鈥�, Ruth Glass, 29 Nov 1958, The New Statesman

鈥楽tubborn prejudice鈥�, Ruth Glass, 28 Jul 1960, The Times

鈥楿nrest in Cuba鈥�, Ruth Glass, Chorley, David Glass, L. C. B. Gower, 18 April 1961, The Times

鈥楥risis in the West Indies鈥�, Ruth Glass, 22 Jan 1962, The Times

鈥楯amaica today鈥�, Ruth Glass, 15 Feb 1962, The Listener (London)

鈥楥uba鈥�, Ruth Glass, 10 Oct 1962, The Times

鈥楰rishna Menon under fire鈥�, Ruth Glass, David Glass, 7 Nov 1962, The Guardian

鈥楾he Rachman affair鈥�, Ruth Glass, 20 Jul 1963, The Times

鈥楨xpanding South-East鈥�, Ruth Glass, 6 Apr 1964, The Times

鈥楻ace situation鈥�, Ruth Glass, 22 Oct 1964, The Times

鈥楢pplying the break鈥�, Ruth Glass, 9 Aug 1965, The Times

鈥楢 calculated gamble鈥�, Ruth Glass, 26 Nov 1965, The Times

鈥楢 calculated gamble鈥�, Ruth Glass, 7 Dec 1965, The Times

鈥楾he Guyanese people can win鈥�, Ruth Glass, 10 Dec 1965, Tribune (Liverpool)

鈥極pposition to Vietnam policy鈥�, Ruth Glass, D.V. Glass, 15 Jul 1966, Tribune (Liverpool)

鈥楲arge powers: in a small country鈥�, Ruth Glass, 11 May 1966, The Times

鈥業mmigration bill鈥�, Ruth Glass, 26 Feb 1967, The Times

鈥楴ecessary justice鈥�, Ruth Glass, 5 Aug 1967, The Times

鈥楢 divided society鈥�, Ruth Glass, 4 May 1968, The Times

鈥楾he problems of Enoch ap Hywel鈥�, Ruth Glass, United Kingdom Committee for Human Rights, 20 Nov 1968, The Guardian

鈥楾he technique of Powellism鈥�, Ruth Glass, 9 Jan 1969, The Guardian

鈥楢ction to end these slums鈥�, Ruth Glass, 10 May 1969, The Guardian

鈥業mmigration issues鈥�, Ruth Glass, 4 Aug 1969, The Times

鈥楾he invasion of Cambodia鈥�, Ruth Glass, David Glass, Peter Townsend, Eric Burhop, Martin Pollock, 4 May 1970, The Times

鈥榃orld aid for Bengal鈥檚 refugees鈥�, Ruth Glass, 3 Jun 1971, The Times

Untitled, Ruth Glass, 21 Dec 1973, The Times

鈥楶lanners and the devouring cities鈥�, Ruth Glass, 8 Jun 1976, The Times

鈥楾he alarming but tired clich茅s about urban doom鈥�, Ruth Glass, 4 Aug 1976, The Times

鈥楾he politics of race and immigration鈥�, Ruth Glass, 16 Feb 1978, The Times

鈥楲ong-term destiny of inner cities鈥�, Ruth Glass, 6 Aug 1981, The Times

鈥楾ory pledge to abolish GLC鈥�, Ruth Glass, 24 May 1983, The Times

Other selected newspaper articles (written about Ruth Glass)

鈥楢mbiguity "elusive enemy of coloured immigrant": Mrs Ruth Glass calls for positive philosophy of tolerance鈥�, unnamed, 6 Oct 1960, The Times

鈥榃oman in the news: teacher, sociologist, housewife and mother鈥�, unnamed, 6 Oct 1960, The Times

Centre for Urban Studies

The origins of the Centre for Urban Studies begin in 1951 with the establishment of the Social Research Unit at 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 Department of Town Planning. The Nuffield Foundation funded a two year study of 鈥榯he contribution of the social sciences to the principles and techniques of town and country planning and for a survey of the processes of planning鈥�. This inquiry was led by Ruth Glass and assisted by John Westergaard.

This work fed into the launch of the Committee for Urban Studies in 1955 drawing on scholars across the University of London and the universities of Leeds and Glasgow with 鈥榓 joint concern for the advancement and application of knowledge on urban problems and phenomena鈥�. Their statement of objectives sought to address how:

In Britain, the most highly urbanised country in the world, there is an acute lack of systematic knowledge of urban conditions and ways of life ... It can be said that more is known about life and conditions in British towns of the mid-19th century than about the towns of today.

With funding from the Sir Halley Stewart Trust and Ford Foundation, the Committee was formally established in 1958, employing full-time staff including Ruth Glass, and changed its name in February 1959 to the Centre for Urban Studies. The first Chairperson was James Mackintosh, Emeritus Professor of Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Public Health, but Ruth Glass was the central figure and its Director of Research throughout its existence. The Centre, although 鈥榠nter-university鈥�, was 鈥榟eadquartered鈥� in the Department of Town Planning at 香港六合彩中特网, shifting to 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 Department of Geography in 1969.

The Centre of Urban Studies was particularly active through the 1960s and early 1970s. It published several important studies which included Newcomers: the West Indians in London (1960, Ruth Glass assisted by Harold Pollins), British towns: a statistical study of their social and economic differences (1961, Claus Moser and Wolf Scott) and London: Aspects of Change (1964, edited by Ruth Glass). The Centre was also involved in teaching activities running a Postgraduate Course on Urbanisation in Developing Countries from 1967/68 to c.1973.

Many of the Centre for Urban Studies鈥� aims and activities resonate closely with those today of the 香港六合彩中特网 Urban Laboratory and indeed debates and approaches within Urban Studies more widely around interdisciplinarity, big data, postcolonial comparisons and forms of engaged urbanism.

The Centre鈥檚 emphasis was on 鈥榯he systematic knowledge of urban development, structure and society鈥� with surveys and other enquiries developed to produce 鈥榗umulative knowledge鈥� often involving new statistical and cartographic approaches to urban data. This included efforts in the early 1960s to produce a Third Survey of London Life and Labour (as a successor to Charles Booth鈥檚 earlier work). Although funding was received from the Nuffield Foundation and London County Council, the intended four volumes of the overall Survey remained incomplete and unpublished.

The Centre also placed particular importance on comparison, 鈥榖oth of intra-urban and inter-urban classifications鈥�, seeking to create and collate 鈥榗omparable studies of urban development, structure and society in this country and abroad鈥�. The geographical focus for these comparisons soon expanded globally from the early days of the Committee, as documented in the Centre鈥檚 1963 Quinquennial Report:

While the initial programme stressed the need for comparative studies of European urbanism 鈥� the Committee members and the research staff have increasingly been concerned with problems of urbanisation in the so-called underdeveloped countries of the world 鈥� Observations of the current trials of Asia, Africa, and Latin America show at once how little we know of our own past and present.

The Centre, moreover, emphasised the necessity of working across disciplines, attempting 鈥榯o bring together the interests of the social sciences and those of allied fields, such as public health and town planning鈥�. Members of the Centre included statisticians, planners, geographers, historians, epidemiologists, anthropologists, sociologists, demographers, lawyers, architects and health scientists (with core members all male apart from Ruth Glass). This interdisciplinary engagement was crucial throughout to the Centre鈥檚 activities:

[We are] convinced of the need for, and of the potentialities of, interdisciplinary collaboration both in research and research training to bridge the divisions which now exist within and between the various branches of the social sciences and related disciplines.

The Centre also highlighted the importance of linking 鈥榓cademic social research with social policy鈥� and the need for independent assessments in government thinking:

Statements from academic bodies, which are not directly or indirectly involved in local government, have been apparently rather rare. As an inter-university research organization, we ourselves have 鈥渘o axe to grind鈥�. (1959)

Statements of evidence were provided by the Centre, for example, to the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London (1959) and to the Committee on Housing in Greater London (1964).

Centre for Urban Studies publications

Details here drawn from WorldCat.org and 香港六合彩中特网 Library Catalogue. See also 鈥楾he Centre for Urban Studies: Extracts from the Quinquennial Report鈥� written by Ruth Glass, 1963, Town Planning Review.

Statement of Evidence by the Centre for Urban Studies to the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London (1959)

Tangley, E. Minutes of Evidence: Witnesses: London: H.M.S.O (1960)

Glass, R. (with Pollins, H.) Newcomers: The West Indians in London (1960). C.U.S. Report No. 1

Moser, C. and Scott, W. British Towns: a Statistical Study of their Social and Economic Differences (1961). C.U.S. Report No. 2

Land Use Planning and the Social Sciences: A Selected Bibliography : Literature on Town and Country Planning and Related Social Studies in Great Britain, 1930-1963 (1964)

London; Aspects of Change. Macgibbon & Kee (1964) C.U.S. Report No. 3

Ferguson, T., Benjamin, B. And Daley, A. Public Health and Urban Growth (1964). C.U.S. Report No. 4

London鈥檚 Housing Needs: Statement of Evidence to the Committee on Housing in Greater London. Ruth Glass and John Westergaard. Report No. 5 (1965)

Westergaard, J. Scandinavian Urbanism: A Survey of Trends and Themes in Urban Social Research in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Copenhagen: Institute of Organization and Industrial Sociology, Copenhagen School of Economics and Social Sciences (1967)

Report on the Housing Rents Study Housing in Camden, Volume 2 (1969)

Land Use Planning and the Social Sciences : Supplement 1964-1970: A Selected Bibliography: Literature on Town and Country Planning and Related Social Studies in Great Britain (1971)

Jeffy, P. Towards understanding employment situation in Liberia : an essay in social research and development (1977)

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