Hugh Roberts

I have spent over 40 years in master planning, design and development of new towns and urban infrastructure worldwide. I have lived or worked in more than 30 countries on all 6 continents (ok, so only the permanently inhabited ones, not the 7th - Antarctica which mercifully does not need town planning!) for and with a wide range of clients, project colleagues and beneficiaries (or otherwise) of the outputs and outcomes of my projects. That covers a lot of nationalities, cultures and languages, but even more characters and humours. These ranged at the negative end of the spectrum from the psychopathic, taciturn and curmudgeonly to the positive, warm-hearted, generous, loveable and downright funny. Luckily those that suck oxygen out of the atmosphere were far outnumbered by those that make life worthwhile. The trick is finding empathy - imaginative identification - with as many as possible. Or not! That is disappointing, but just as revealing as to personality and behaviour traits. We learn from failure probably more than success because it helps get it better the next time.

That was the main theme of my second book 'Journeys with Open Eyes' with its revealing subtitle - 'Seeking Empathy with Strangers'. Not just travelogue but a study of human behaviour.

My first book 'Urban Profile of the Middle East' offered exactly that but from 1979, re-published as a Library Edition in 2016 - a snapshot of what planners were thinking about the region at the end of the 1970's. It needs a sequel.

'Fractured Society - Causes, Effects and Resolutions' is my third book, the only common denominator with the other two being the international perspective. Otherwise, it is about society as a whole and how so many aspects of it have been coming apart for decades, through over-reliance on digital communication, polarised politics and our increased inability to agree to disagree, gender wars, nationalism displacing patriotism and how people cope with trauma. And that was before the CV19 pandemic came along to accelerate many of these trends!

But this book is not just about the problems, its last three chapters examine ways in which we can all make a difference within the new normal that will emerge as we do so too, from isolation imposed by the need to reduce infection. The key to this is that imaginative identification with others that I referred to above, and understanding quickly what is that other person's agenda as they meet us - for the long or medium terms or even just the next few minutes!

All the usual other biographical stuff is fully available on my LinkedIn profile if you are interested, or the latest books' website: www.fracturedsocietycer.com.