Robert B. Potter (24 February 1950 – 12 April 2014) was a British academic geographer, focussing on urbanisation and development issues in the Caribbean. He was Emeritus Professor at the University of Reading, UK.
Background.
Potter was trained in geography at the University of London in the 1970s (BSc first class, Bedford College 1971; PhD on urban retailing 1974/5). From 1974 he rose through the ranks at Royal Holloway, University of London (initially working at Bedford College, later merged), becoming Professor of Geography and then Head of Department (1994-1999). He joined the Department of Geography at the University of Reading in 2003, and later became Head of its School of Human and Environmental Sciences (2008-2012). He battled cancer from 2009, and retired in 2013.
Contributions.
Potter was a leader in the study of urbanisation trends in developing countries, notably in the Caribbean. He worked on urbanisation, housing and planning, tourism, gender, returning migrants and human aspects of environmental hazards. A later focus was second-generation transnational migration to the Caribbean (Barbados, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago).
Latterly he obtained a Leverhulme Trust Programme Grant, "Water, Life and Civilisation", based on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), writing books and articles on water management in Jordan.
He was a consultant to the Government of Barbados and the Inter-American Development Bank for the Third National Physical Development Plan for Barbados.
He produced several textbooks on geographies of development and development studies, and founded the journal "Progress in Development Studies". A prolific writer he authored 30 books and 250 articles.
References.
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