Neil R. Smith, 1954 – 2012

Posted on by

It is with incredible sorrow that I write to share the news that we lost Neil Smith in the early hours of this morning. He had been hospitalized on Wednesday afternoon with organ failures, and despite some moments of hope, could not  greet another day with us. Words cannot describe this sudden tragedy. Neil was larger than life, brilliant, an inspiration and loved by so many.

I will provide the CPCP community with further updates as they are available. You can still share your thoughts at http://pcp.gc.cuny.edu/2012/09/neil-smith/.

With deepest regrets and many tears, Padmini

181 thoughts on “Neil R. Smith, 1954 – 2012”

  1. Terrible news … He will be sorely missed as an academic, activist – & a good & generous friend.

  3. Thank you Neil for all you have done and all you have contributed. Your humor and passion will be missed. Your project lives on through all those you have touched.

  5. Neil was so incredibly helpful in my dissertation years at Rutgers.He always found time to so meaningfully engage my ideas.I was and will always be grateful.

  7. Pingback: Neil Smith 1954-2012 « geographical imaginations

  8. Very sad upsetting news. I knew Neil Smith as an original and critical thinker, a human being who cared about injustice, and as a fellow Scotsman and advocate for Scottish Geography. He will be missed for each.

  10. A sweet man, a dear friend, a big heart, a brilliant mind, and an undimmed spirit. I’m so desperately sad.

  11. This is such shocking and sad news. Neil’s tireless work opened a space for so many of us to do the kind of work we do in this discipline. Neil was always so welcoming and supportive to me through the years, starting in my early days as a Master’s student. In our first conversation, I (very nervously) greeted him as “Dr. Smith” and was immediately (though gently) told to call him Neil! While we didn’t meet or chat as much as I would have liked over the years, every meeting left me happy, energized, enlightened, and honoured to know him. I’ll miss that.

  13. Neil was a major inspiration and resource for our documentaries about the redevelopment of Downtown Brooklyn. So generous and brilliant, and such a great example of an activist intellectual. We have a long video interview with him about gentrification that I am happy to donate to the Center if you would like to archive it there so people can view it and use it.

  15. Pingback: Neil Smith, 1954-2012 | Progressive Geographies

  17. We have lost a truly original thinker in geography and critical urban studies. One who inspired so many of us across the world, with his prodigious intellect allied to an extraordinary energy, commitment, passion, wit, generosity, and love. Thank you for your immeasurable contribution Neil; and for the incredibly rewarding moments that we have been able to share with you.

    The grief runs very, very deep; and we are going to miss you so much.

    Gordon

  20. A luminary for innumerable thinkers and projects, and an ardently colorful character at the lectern, Neil will be greatly missed. But that light will not be extinguished for a very, very long time, as he continues to illuminate so many pursuits. Burn on.

  22. I’m saddened by such a sudden and untimely passing of Neil Smith. He was an inspiration and influenced my work tremendously. I’m grateful for the chance and honor of having met him.
    May he rest in peace. My sincerest condolences to family and friends closest to him.

  24. With deepest sorrows from Barcelona where you came many times and where you have very good friends. You were an extraordinary human being and a very courageous radical geographer. We will miss you a lot¡¡

  25. neil was my champion at cuny. his support and friendship were nonstop, huge. a fellow scot, with that passion. whatever he did, said, came straight from his heart, utterly rare in this world. i will miss you so much neil.

  26. I never had a chance to meet Neil personally, but his work made a great impression on me. A brilliant mind has passed, but his influence will continue to be felt for a very long time to come. RIP Neil.

  27. The world has lost one of his most brilliant minds and gentle souls. The seeds he sowed will keep bearing fruit in the minds and hearths of intellectuals and activists worldwide. Your courage, warmth and enthusiasm will be sorely missed. Goodbye, dear Neil.

  28. For all the inspiration you gave, and that which your work will continue to give, thank you Neil.

  31. This is terribly sad news. In fact, I’m totally shocked. Neil was the best possible combination of good person and sharp mind. His absence will be deeply felt.

  32. So sorry and shocked to hear of Neil’s passing. What a loss for geography and for us all. I’m lucky to have gotten a chance to know him and learn from him. My thoughts go out to everyone at CUNY and beyond during this sad time.

  33. Neil was an extraordinary human being and an extraordinary intellectual. I was never very close to him in personal terms, but our paths would cross from time and time, and I would always come away from these brief encounters with an incredible sense of Neils’ life-affirming warmth. Geography has lost one of its most brilliant practitioners.

  34. A great, great mind and inspiring friend. I will miss you so much Neil. An honour to know you, and thank you for sharing your brilliance with us.

  35. Pingback: Neil Smith 1954-2012 | Pop Theory

  36. It was a pleasure knowing Comrade Neil — kind, generous and inspiring. His writings will keep inspiring many amongst us and future scholars and activist to strive for a better world.
    Laal Salam, Comrade! (Form of greeting/homage popular amongst communists in India)

  38. A very friendly, approachable person with a great sense of humor. I took him as proof that nice people can be successful too and he was very successful. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam RIP.

  39. While I have only come across Neil’s work relatively recently, it is easy recognise the enormity of his contribution as a deep thinker committed to simultaneously changing the world for the better and communicating this message to inspire others to do the same. This is a great legacy to leave to the world.

  40. Dumfound. The news hits hard. The sorrow runs deep. Neil changed my life since the day in 1979 when as a student I read his JAPA article, not aware then that the author was my age. He became my hero, guide, teacher, and friend. I will always cherish the memories of times spent with Neil. His heart was as big as his mind.
    Sincerest love and condolences to those so fortunate as to stand closer to Neil,
    Eric

  41. My copy of Uneven Development was already very dog-eared when I first met Neil, nearly 20 years ago. His ferocious and generous intellect — that characterized each sentence that he wrote or uttered — was startling, overwhelming, and transformational. So many of us can tell a story of falling in love with geographical thought in which Neil is one of the main protagonists. I shall do my best, as I mourn, to continue his political and pedagogical labours.

  42. With deepest sorrows from Moscow… Grateful for the chance to know your generous personality and amazing spirit.
    In sadness,
    Marianna Pavlovskaya

  43. The heartbreak and sadness speaks to the undeniable fact that the world will be a bit less without Neil in it. You will be missed…

  44. Neil, you were a total inspiration, with the biggest heart and intellectual generosity of anyone I ever met. You will be dearly missed and remembered by so many. RIP my friend.

  46. There were so many more conversations to have and actions to spark. I am in shock and like all will miss you even as your immense contributions live on.

  49. A transformative thinker, the rarest kind of thinkers but the most socially useful. An early and tragical departure, we must all feel a call for responsibility in our work.

  50. Pingback: Neil Smith 1954-2012 | Open Geography

Comments are closed.