John was appointed as the Ebenezer Howard Chair of Planning at the University of Hertfordshire in April 2021. He is the Programme Leader for the MSc Sustainable Planning.
John has had a varied career as a planner in both practice and academia, and is keen to bring both areas closer together. He tries to work across disciplinary boundaries, with the ultimate aim of improving people's lives by contributing to planning and development policy and practice. He is particularly interested in how cities grow in more "sustainable" ways, with an understanding of sustainability that considers all those involved, including those with less power and influence in the planning and development systems.