Ben Rogers
Ben Rogers (born 1963) is a British urbanist and author. He is professor of practice at the University of London.[1] He has written books on philosophy and history and was founding director of the think tank Centre for London.[2]
Early life
Rogers was born in London in 1963. He is the son of two architects, Su Rogers and Richard Rogers (Lord Rogers of Riverside).[citation needed] After his parents divorced in the early 1970s, his mother married John Miller. His father married Ruth Rogers, who later founded the River Café.
He attended Fleet primary school in Hampstead, North London, King Alfred School, Haverstock Comprehensive School and went on to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Keble College, Oxford.[citation needed]
Career
Rogers completed a doctorate in Oxford on 17th Century English and French intellectual history which he adapted into a book, Pascal: In Praise of Vanity.[3]
He went on to write the first authorised biography of British philosopher, A. J. Ayer,[4][5] which was serialised on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Book of the Week’. This was followed by Beef and Liberty,[6][7][8] exploring the history of British identity and nationalism based around food. Rogers also edited a collection of philosophical papers on atheism and the sacred[9] and the Penguin Modern Classic’s edition of A. J. Ayer’s Language, Truth and Logic.[10]
From 2000-2005 Rogers ran a team focused on constitutional reform and democratic engagement at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), before working for The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, under Gordon Brown, where he led a cross-government review of the planning and design of the built environment, and the Department for Communities and Local Government.[1]
In 2011, he founded Centre for London as a programme with the Demos think tank, before the centre became an independent charity in 2013. He has worked closely with the Mayor of London’s office under Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan, and was a member of both the first London Finance Committee set up by Johnson,[11] and the second, convened by Khan.[12]
He has produced and presented numerous programmes for BBC Radio[13] and has been a Contributing Editor to Prospect Magazine. As a Visting Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts, he wrote The Woolwich Model, setting out a ‘first aid’ approach to tackling anti-social behaviour.[14] He has been a trustee and then Chair of The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick (2018-2024) and Design South East (2019-2025).
Rogers stepped down as Director of Centre for London at the start of 2021 and is currently Professor of Practice – London, at the University of London and Distinguished Policy Fellow at the London School of Economics.[15]
Rogers was featured by Arena magazine as one of Britain’s 10 most prominent young thinkers (2008)[16] and The Evening Standard’s Power 1000 list of the most influential people in London.[17]
Personal life
He is married with three children.[citation needed]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Professor Ben Rogers".
- ↑ "Centre for London: Ben Rogers".
- ↑ Rogers, Ben (1998). Pascal, In Praise of Vanity. London: Orion. ISBN 9781780221649. Search this book on
- ↑ Rogers, Ben (1999). A. J. Ayer, A Life. London: Chatto & Windus. ISBN 9780802138699. Search this book on
- ↑ Worsthorne, Peregrine (5 June 1999). "Women over Logic". The Independent. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ↑ Rogers, Ben (2003). Beef and Liberty. London: Chatto & Windus. Search this book on
- ↑ "Not just British beef". Prospect magazine. 19 August 2003. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- ↑ Mullen, John (10 May 2003). "Where's the Beef?". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ↑ Is Nothing Sacred?. Routledge. 2004. ISBN 9780415304849. Search this book on
- ↑ Ayers, A. J. (2001). Language, Truth and Logic (New ed.). Penguin Classics. ISBN 9780141186047. Search this book on
- ↑ Raising the capital: The report of the London Finance Commission. London Finance Commission. 15 May 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2025. Search this book on
- ↑ Devolution: A Capital Idea. London Finance Commission. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2025. Search this book on
- ↑ "Analysis: Promises Promises". BBC Radio 4.
- ↑ Travis, Alan (13 July 2010). "Stop vandals by training residents, Big Society report says'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
- ↑ "Ben Rogers: LSE Cities".
- ↑ "Brains of Britain". Arena: 114. February 2008.
- ↑ "The Power 1000 - London's most influential people 2013: Crusaders, Thinkers". The Standard. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
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