Sharing the good life: Colin Clark’s contributions to urban studies

Colin Clark (1905–1989) was foremost an economist and secondly an urban thinker, but in the latter role, based in both Britain and Australia, he made a significant contribution to the early emergence of urban studies as an interdisciplinary field. His interests ranged broadly across planning, transportation, settlement, population and spatial structure. He was suspicious of theory and pragmatically set all his work in real urban settings. This article introduces and seeks to position Clark’s writings – focusing on their impact, strengths and weaknesses – within a critical appreciation of his role in the development of urban studies.