Dome

Digitized materials in this online collection form part of the American Institute of Planners records (MC-0556) in the MIT Libraries Department of Distinctive Collections. For more information about the materials, please consult the collection finding aid.

Collection scope and contents:
The collection contains the records of the American City Planning Institute (ACPI, 1917-1938) and its successor, the American Institute of Planners (AIP, 1939-1978). The records were maintained by MIT faculty member Flavel Shurtleff, Secretary-Treasurer, 1917-1935; Howard K. Menhinick, Executive Secretary, 1935-1937; and Harold W. Lautner, Executive Secretary, 1937-1943. The bulk dates, 1935 to 1939, are for the years in which there are administrative records; however, membership and meeting records span the years 1925 to 1940. The collection consists of the records of executive officers and committees, and records about finances, membership, "The Planners’ Journal", institute meetings, and a variety of other activities. This collection will be of value to anyone interested in the history of local, state, and national planning policy. The records of the committees contain extensive information about the central role this organization played in particular policy decisions. The records of the committees and institute meetings may also include previously unpublished reports. The collection will serve as a useful record of the history and development of city planning as a profession. In addition to detailed information about the active and deliberative role this organization played during this early period in the planning and development of the profession, there is also correspondence between well-known figures in the field. The records show how the key officers, who are now considered the founders of the profession of city planning, actively defined the organization’s role in shaping the discipline. Finally, the collection includes records regarding the organization’s reorganization and name change in 1939, publication of "The Planners’ Journal", and production of the film "The City", which was shown at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. The film is not part of the collection.

Dates:
1925 – 1940

Please note:
Materials in this collection may be under copyright. Please consult the collection finding aid or catalog record and the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for more information.

Citation:
Please cite the source item title (dc.title), collection title and identifier, and repository.

Example: Committee on World’s Fair Exhibit “The City", 1940. American Institute of Planners records (MC-0556). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections.

Repository details:
Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository https://libraries.mit.edu/distinctive-collections