Ian Douglas Nairn (1930-1983) was a British architectural critic and topographer. He coined the term 'subtopia' for the areas around cities that had, in his view, been failed by urban planning, losing their individuality and spirit of place. In the 1960s he published Nairn's London and Nairn's Paris, as well as presenting several BBC TV series. His work has influenced writers as diverse as J. G. Ballard, Will Self, Iain Sinclair and Patrick Wright.
Andrew Hussey is Professor of Cultural History in the School of Advanced Study, University of London. He is a regular contributor to the Guardian and the New Statesman and the writer/presenter of several documentaries for BBC TV, BBC Radio 4 and Channel 4. He is the author of The Game of War: The Life and Death of Guy Debord (2001), Paris: The Secret History (2006) and The French Intifada: The Long War Between France and its Arabs. He was awarded an OBE in 2011 for his services to cultural relations between France and the UK.
