Cliff Hague

Cliff Hague writes about urban and regional planning... and about football. He was born and brought up in Manchester, England, but has lived in Scotland since 1968.

He is Emeritus Professor of Planning and Spatial Development at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, and internationally known for his writings.

He was President of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 1996, and of the Commonwealth Association of Planners 2000-2006 (Secretary-General 2006-10). From 2011-14 he was Chair of Built Environmment Forum Scotland, and from 2016-23 of the Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's Civic Trust.

In 2016 he was awarded an OBE. In 2000 he was awarded one of the Centenary medals of the Technical University of Brno. He is an author in "Encounters in Planning Thought: 16 Autobiographical Essays by Key Thinkers in Spatial Planning" (ed.B.Haselsberger, 2017). He is co-author of "Campaigning for Edinburgh - The Cockburn Association 1875 - 2049" (Birlinn, 2025).

In 2026, his first book, "The Development of Planning Thought: A Critical Perspective" was republished in the Routledge Revivals series.

His 2021 book "Programmes! Programmes! Football and Life from Wartime to Lockdown" (Pitch) is based on his collection of football programmes, which tell the story of the game, his life and times. His follow-up book, "Cup Finals - Football Stories of Great Games, Heroes and Villains" (Pitch) was published in 2025.