My friend and former colleague Mike Collins, who has died aged 92, devoted most of his working life to teaching planning practice to students at University College London. He joined the Bartlett School of Planning at UCL in 1964 and spent the rest of his time there, including 20 years as its director of studies.
Mike was born in Dagenham, Essex (now east London), to Thomas, a finance director, and his wife, Bessie (nee Fisher), a nurse. After attending Dartford grammar school in Kent he gained a degree in geography at Nottingham University before joining the town planning division of the architects’ department of London county council in 1956, working mainly on drawing up development plans for the LCC.
