Michael Barke was Reader in Human Geography at Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, where he taught from 1974 until his retirement in 2016. His research interests include the demographic and urban history of the North East.

Brian Robson was Emeritus Professor at Manchester University. In 1983 he founded the Centre for Urban Policy Studies and published six books and well over 100 articles. After retiring he pursued a long-held interest in historic urban cartography. He died in June 2020. 

Anthony Champion is Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University and was a staff member in the university's geography department and subsequently in the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS).