Mayer Hillman (born 1931) is a British architect and town planner, and Senior Fellow Emeritus since 1992 at the
Policy Studies Institute,
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public university, public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first Polytechnic (United Kingdom), polytechnic to open in London. The Polyte ...
where he worked for at least thirty years.
Early life
Mayer Hillman was born in northwest London in 1931, the third son of David Hillman, a portrait painter and stained glass artist, and Dr Annie Hillman, a general practice physician (GP).
He and his brothers were raised in West Hampstead, by their Scottish Jewish parents, and in Rickmansworth during the WWII bombing raids. He studied at the Bartlett School of Architecture,
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
and practiced as an architect for several years, before seeking a change in direction. He completed a PhD on transport, planning and environmental issues in 1970 at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, without a scholarship and supporting a young family with his wife Heidi Krott.
Career
Established at the PSI, a policy thinktank, Hillman became eclectic contributor to debates on transport, the environment and health.
Several of his contrarian arguments and studies have been proven accurate with the passage of time. For example, he co-authored a 1990 study, ''One False Move'', which equated the reduction in child casualties on British roads in recent decades with the loss of freedom that they have experienced because of the increase in traffic, with repercussions for child health. Several of his innovations, like raised-level intersections to slow traffic, have later been adopted in policy and planning.
He believes public policy should be more socially and environmentally conscious, and has been an animated speaker on a variety of topics, in his later years completing two books and promoting action on climate change. A strong proponent of
personal carbon trading, he specifically helped develop the concept of
personal carbon allowances.
Hillman has been a lifelong cyclist, arguing against
compulsory helmet laws
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...
in 1992, and in favour of cycling's health promotion possibilities in a
British Medical Association report in 1992. Hillman has not flown for more than 20 years as part of his commitment to reducing carbon emissions. But he is now scornful of individual action which he describes as "as good as futile", rhetorically asking "can you see everyone in a democracy volunteering to give up flying? Can you see the majority of the population becoming vegan? Can you see the majority agreeing to restrict the size of their families?" He believes that, "Even if the world went zero-carbon today that would not save us because we've gone past the point of no return."
He announced his withdrawal from speaking and writing on climate change and other topics in late 2017, with these statements.
[
]
Personal life
He married Heidi Krott in 1964, and they have two sons, born in 1968 and 1970.
Works
* Hillman, M, T. Fawcett and S.C. Rajan. 2007. ''The Suicidal Planet: How to Prevent Global Climate Catastrophe''. St. Martin’s Press.
* Hillman, M. and T. Fawcett. 2004. ''How We Can Save the Planet'', Penguin.
* Hillman M., J. Adams and J. Whitelegg. 1990.
One False Move
'. Policy Studies Institute,
* Hillman, M. 1993.
Cycle helmets: the case for and against
'. Policy Studies Institute.
* Ekins P, M. Hillman and R. Hutchison. 1992. ''The Gaia Atlas of Green Economics''. Anchor Books.
* Hillman, M. 1992. ''Cycling: Towards Health and Safety''. BMA, Oxford University Press.
A ''festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
'' volume was published on his 70th birthday in 2001. Hutchison R. (ed.). 2001.
Ahead of Time: Birthday Letters to Mayer Hillman
'. London: PSI. Authors look backward from his 90th birthday in 2021, testing his earlier predictions and innovations.
References
External links
Mayer Hillman's website
Policy Studies Institute page
interview in ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' ( November 2002 )
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillman, Mayer
1931 births
Living people
Academics of the University of Westminster
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Alumni of University College London
Architects from London
British environmentalists
British Jews
British male writers
British non-fiction writers
Cycling advocates
Male non-fiction writers