Cornell University Library Digital Collections

From 1950 to 2005, the proportion of the planet’s urban population nearly doubled, and over half of all humankind now lives in cities. This phenomenal growth throughout the second half of the twentieth century often caused new urban problems or exacerbated old ones around the world, to which urban planners, governments, citizens and others frequently responded with innovative solutions and new forms.

The John Reps Urban Explorer Collection documents planning practices and responses to urban issues from 15 countries. Taken and gathered on globe-spanning travels undertaken by Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning Emeritus Professor John W. Reps from 1958 onwards, the collection’s 1,355 photographs, plans, and aerial images have been composed to support and advance instruction and research on the history of urban planning and comparative international or domestic spatial development, and to celebrate Emeritus Professor Reps’s pioneering contribution to the field.