By the end of the twentieth century, the focus of geography had narrowed, its content had become less disciplined by spatial concerns, and its subject matter had become fragmented. Geographers were writing about small, personal subjects: about identity and positionality, about statues and monuments. How and why did this come about? Perhaps because both the urban geography of Britain underwent massive change and the way in which British geographers thought about cities was revolutionised. This change in urban geography in Britain during the twentieth century can be attributed in part to the...

By the end of the twentieth century, the focus of geography had narrowed, its content had become less disciplined by spatial concerns, and its subject matter had become fragmented. Geographers were writing about small, personal subjects: about identity and positionality, about statues and monuments. How and why did this come about? Perhaps because both the urban geography of Britain underwent massive change and the way in which British geographers thought about cities was revolutionised. This change in urban geography in Britain during the twentieth century can be attributed in part to the fact that the geography of British towns has changed significantly over the period. This chapter focuses on geographers and the fragmented city, starting with a brief account of the urban change and then moving on to discuss the shifts within the philosophy of geography. It also examines urban social segregation, with emphasis on race, ethnicity, gender and sexuality.