Abercrombie, Leslie Patrick

Born 1879 in Ashton-upon-Mersey, Cheshire; died Mar. 23, 1957, in Aston Tirrold, Berkshire. English architect; theoretician and practitioner of town-building.

Abercrombie was one of the pioneers of regional planning in Western Europe. In 1921–22 he developed an overall planning scheme for the large industrial region of the city of Doncaster. The plan provided for the construction of 12 satellite cities, functional zoning of land, and the creation of a unified transportation system. In his 1944 plan for the development of Greater London, Abercrombie proposed that its dimensions be limited and a territorial boundary be established by means of a “green belt,” the construction of eight satellite cities, and the moving of more than 1 million city residents from London’s inner sections. The realization of Abercrombie’s plan was made impossible by the spontaneous growth of London and its population.

Abercrombie served as president of the International Union of Architects in 1946.