About the I2UD Digital Library

The I2UD Digital Library is an open-access educational platform expanding access to over four decades of urban planning research and documentation, primarily across the Global South. The Library connects a longitudinal record of planning practices with ongoing contextualization within the broader planning discourse, using I2UD’s broad base of textual and visual sources from its project history.

The Institute for International Urban Development (I2UD) is a not-for-profit institution dedicated to improving urban environments for vulnerable communities by providing research on spatial development issues, advisory services to city leaders, and urban planning education programs. The I2UD Digital Library supports and advances these aims by providing access to the rich urban planning documentation representing I2UD’s decades of research and practice.

The Collections

The Library provides access to around 140 projects, including digital copies of final reports, research and policy papers, presentations, and other supporting documents. The Library also displays a collection of images documenting urban development conditions in over 13 countries, along with an even more extensive collection of digitized 35mm film slides, curated by former I2UD Vice President and renowned researcher Mona Serageldin.

Study Guides

A more recent initiative for the Institute is our I2UD Digital Library Study Guides digital resources. The Library’s curated Study Guides provide a resource for engaging critical urban issues in classrooms, conferences, and development projects. Collectively, these resources offer comprehensive practical documentation and essential materials for understanding both successful and unsuccessful urban development practices, shedding light on the evolving approaches in this field over decades.

The first study guide on informal settlements encompasses a broad timeline of research, from early studies on the growth of informal settlements to recent initiatives in infrastructure upgrading, community development, and social inclusion. Two additional study guides address post-conflict reconciliation and climate adaptation and resilience, with more planned for the future on topics such as historic districts, municipal finance, community-driven development, and migration and remittances.

Copyright Policy

The I2UD Digital Library contents may be subject to intellectual property laws. Materials are included in the Library when I2UD owns the copyright, has received permission from copyright owners, or when inclusion falls under fair use doctrine. We may remove individual items from public view when a rights issue is brought to our attention or is under review.

Use Policy

The contents of the I2UD Digital Library are made available for noncommercial and educational use. We aim to facilitate broad access to I2UD’s multifaceted body of urban development research. Please freely read, view, quote, and download materials for personal use, and include a citation when applicable. Permission from a copyright owner may be required when purposes exceed fair use, including reproduction or publication.

Contact us to request high-quality versions of images. Please include a description of intended use in the request, along with identification numbers for the specified images. We cannot necessarily grant license for use, and images may include watermarks. Donations are accepted for image use.

Citation Formats

For documents:

• Author(s). “Document Title.” Document Date. Project ID. I2UD Digital Library, Institute for International Urban Development. Date Accessed. Document URL.

For images:

• Photographer(s) (if given). “Gallery Title and Image Caption.” Image Date. Image ID. I2UD Digital Library, Institute for International Urban Development. Date Accessed. Gallery URL.

Example: “Tarsus, Turkey: Kiriksirti region, World Bank site / Canal border.” Approx. 1987. Turkey-Tarsus-01-007. I2UD Digital Library, Institute for International Urban Development. Accessed June 27, 2023. http://library.i2ud.org/library/wp/?page_id=27397.

This map displays the I2UD Digital Library using Google Maps, showing the geographical breadth of I2UD’s work in international urban development initiatives. Map points expand to display project data, including internal links to project posts and photograph galleries. Expand the Map with the full-screen controls in the upper right corner.

Location markers are color-coded and can be filtered by I2UD Digital Library collection:

• I2UD Document Collection (I2UD project reports and supporting documents)
• I2UD Photograph Collection (digitized film slides from I2UD projects)
• MSDA Photograph Collection (digitized film slides curated by Mona Serageldin)