Max Lock
Encyclopedia
Max Lock was a British postwar urban planner who emphasised the importance of incorporating social research in the planning process. His most notable contributions were associated with planning in Middlesbrough
, where he worked with Griselda Rowntree and Ruth Glass
on the 1944 Middlesbrough Survey, and Hull
. Lock's Hull work achieved acclaim with a 1943 London exhibition at the Housing Centre opened by the Minister of Town and Country Planning and in The Architects' Journal.
Darling and Whitworth describe Lock's approach to planning as the most Geddesian
of the post-war planners in the UK. Other key features of his approach were to include considerations of a town's hinterland in the planning process, to incorporate insights from other disciplines, to blend both physical and social aspects, using surveys, interviews, community involvement, map overlays, topic reports, and photographs. This was a process involving Civic Diagnosis. The aim was to achieve workable and acceptable plans. This could be achieved by having the public closely invovled in a consultation process and making presentations accessible to them and to the press.
The Max Lock Centre at the University of Westminster
is named in his honour and holds his archive.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, where he worked with Griselda Rowntree and Ruth Glass
Ruth Glass
Ruth Glass was a German-born British sociologist.Glass's work reflected her belief "that the purpose of sociological research was to influence government policy and bring about social change"...
on the 1944 Middlesbrough Survey, and Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. Lock's Hull work achieved acclaim with a 1943 London exhibition at the Housing Centre opened by the Minister of Town and Country Planning and in The Architects' Journal.
Darling and Whitworth describe Lock's approach to planning as the most Geddesian
Patrick Geddes
Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scottish biologist, sociologist, philanthropist and pioneering town planner. He is known for his innovative thinking in the fields of urban planning and education....
of the post-war planners in the UK. Other key features of his approach were to include considerations of a town's hinterland in the planning process, to incorporate insights from other disciplines, to blend both physical and social aspects, using surveys, interviews, community involvement, map overlays, topic reports, and photographs. This was a process involving Civic Diagnosis. The aim was to achieve workable and acceptable plans. This could be achieved by having the public closely invovled in a consultation process and making presentations accessible to them and to the press.
The Max Lock Centre at the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
is named in his honour and holds his archive.
Selected publications
- Lock, M. (1943) Civic diagnosis: a blitzed city analysed, Housing Centre/Hull Regional Survey, Hull
- Lock, M. (ed.) (1946), The County Borough of Middlesbrough: Survey and Plan, The Middlesbrough Corporation, Middlesbrough
- Lock, M. (1967) KadunaKadunaKaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
, 1917, 1967, 2017. A survey and plan of the capital territory for the government of Northern Nigeria, Faber and Faber, London