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Many archives include records on town and country planning, the development of new towns, reconstruction and regeneration projects. Many architects become involved in planning projects and urban design work as an integral part of their work for the built environment.

The planning and post-war reconstruction of London is particularly well documented. Records include a file on the MARS plan for London, 1938-1939, and the City of London Plan, 1946, by Charles Holden & W.G. Holford, together with related material. Such studies provide evidence of the actual physical development of London as well as showing the ways in which the city might have developed if theories and propositions had been put into practice.
 
Many series of correspondence refer to planning issues, such as the letters between William Lethaby (1857-1931) and Harry Hardy Peach (1872-1936), dating from 1915 to 1931, which include reference to town planning, amenities and environmental improvements.
 
Some archives relate to planning projects in other countries. Jane Drew (1911-1996) and Maxwell Fry (1899-1987) were involved in a number of projects, including the planning and design of Chandigarh, India, and projects in West Africa. The building of New Delhi, India, is also well documented in the magnificent collection of letters by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) as well as the archive of Sir Herbert Baker (1862-1946).
 
One collection of particular note is that of Jaqueline Tyrwhitt (1905-1983), a prominent figure in the field of urban design. Her archive includes notes, correspondence and articles on town planning, urbanisation and ekistics. It covers the work of the Association of Planning and Regional Reconstruction during the Second World War and work for the United Nations on settlement, new towns and regional planning in Singapore, Tokyo and West Africa. It also includes study papers for work at Yale and Harvard on urban studies and urban design conferences.
 
Projects that were never executed or failed to deliver on original expectations often highlight the problems and difficulties involved in regional development or inner city regeneration. In the 1940's Berthold Lubetkin was appointed architect for the new town of Peterlee, but only a few years later he resigned after finding himself beaten by political and personal obstacles rather than architectural problems. His papers include reports, letters and diary entries relating to this complex and controversial episode in his life, which caused him to become disillusioned with the system and to withdraw from a leading role in architecture.