About Us

The Habitat Conferences Digital Archive project seeks to collect, digitize and provide access to primary materials, including audiovisual collections, from the Habitat I & II Conferences that reside in archives and personal collections, in order to make these materials more widely accessible to researchers and the interested public internationally. Digital copies of the material now physically reside at the University of British Columbia Archives. By digitizing and presenting these materials, we also help to ensure their survival into the future as invaluable records of early wide-reaching international collaboration on issues of human settlements.

225 textual items digitized including national reports, speeches, press releases, newsletters, newspaper articles, books and promotional materials produced for Habitat I and II
168 Habitat I Audiovisual Presentations (films submitted to the Conference by attending states about their local human settlements issues and interventions) digitized
53 Habitat I Forum and Habitat I Conference related films and videos digitized
45 Habitat I Conference Session videos digitized
5 Habitat II Conference related videos digitized

LOCATION OF HABITAT I & II ARCHIVAL MATERIAL
REFERENCED OR INCLUDED IN THE
HABITAT CONFERENCES DIGITAL ARCHIVE

 

Textual Material:

Habitat I Conference
Location: Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Collection title: Canadian Habitat Secretariat fonds [1966-1979]
Extent: 18.62 m of textual records
Short Description: The Canadian Habitat Secretariat was created in December 1975 as a separate agency, responsible to the Minister of Urban Affairs. It was established in order to coordinate Canada’s responsibilities as host to Habitat and arranged the conference and worked with the Canadian delegation to prepare Canada’s policy positions for Habitat, and effectively managed the Canadian delegation during the Conference. Fonds consists of records created and/or maintained by the Canadian Habitat Secretariat and its predecessors. Note: no material from this Collection is included in the Habitat Conferences Digital Archive.
URL: collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=374&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=2227776,2227777,2227775,191883,4274258,374,790,113562,141003,2218312 (No item list created)

Habitat I Conference
Location: University of British Columbia Archives, Vancouver, Canada
Collection title: H. Peter Oberlander fonds [1943-2010]
Extent: 4.70 m of textual records; 53 photographs; 1 reel; 5 audiocassettes; 2 videocassettes; 2 CDs; 2 DVDs.
Short Description: Dr. H. Peter Oberlander was a Canadian architect and Canada’s first professor of urban and regional planning. H. Peter Oberlander enjoyed four decades of teaching, research and public service in Canada during which he became the founding Director of the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning, the founding Director of the Centre for Human Settlements, and Member of the Order of Canada. 
URL: www.library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/oberlander.pdf

Habitat I Conference 

Location: James Carney, Vancouver, Canada
Extent and Short Description: James Carney was recruited from the National Film Board of Canada in 1975 to work as Liaison Producer for the UN Habitat Conference and oversaw the extensive and unprecedented audiovisual programme created for the conference. From 1983 to 1986 he was Chief, Information Division, at UN Habitat in Nairobi. He returned to Vancouver for a position as the Commissioner General of the UN pavilion at Expo ‘86 and then worked in Canada’s film and television broadcast industry. He has a personal collection of textual records pertaining to the Conference.

Habitat I Conference
Location: J. David Hulchanski, professor, University of Toronto (University of British Columbia, School of Community and Regional Planning, 1983-1991).
Extent: Several documents.

Habitat I NGO Forum
Location: University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books & Special Collections, Vancouver, Canada
Collection title: Association in Canada Serving Organizations for Human Settlements (ACSOH) Habitat Collection
Extent: 5.2 m of textual records
Short Description: The Association in Canada Serving Organizations for Human Settlements (ACSOH) was a special NGO established in Vancouver in 1974 to stimulate, facilitate and coordinate the activities of NGOs for the Conference and NGO Forum.The fonds consists of background records relating to the formation and operation of ACSOH as well as material generated by the Conference itself.
URL: rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/uploads/r/university-of-british-columbia-library-rare-books-and-special-collections/6/6/66032/Association_in_Canada_Serving_Organizations_for_Human_Settlement__Habitat_Collection_.pdf

Habitat I Conference and NGO Forum
Location: City of Vancouver Archives, Vancouver, Canada
Collection title: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements fonds
Extent: 2.5 m of textual records; ca. 250 drawings; 52 photographs; 9 banners
Short Description: The fonds consists of records relating to the Conference as well as the Habitat Forum. From the Conference, it includes: planning papers, miscellaneous official publications, reports from individual countries, reports of international organizations, planning papers for the conference from the Vancouver City Clerk’s Department, delegate information, photographs of delegates, newspaper clippings, originals of entries submitted to a Habitat poster competition, and conference banners. From the Habitat Forum, it includes publications, newspaper clippings, and a very large collection of photographs (which are available digitally via the City of Vancouver Archives online database, see further information below under heading: Photographic Material).
URL: searcharchives.vancouver.ca/united-nations-conference-on-human-settlements-fonds

Habitat I NGO Forum
Location: Lindsay Brown, Vancouver, Canada 
Extent and Short Description: Lindsay Brown is the author of the forthcoming book Habitat ‘76 and has personally acquired a large collection of textual records and ephemera pertaining to the NGO Forum in the process of conducting research for her forthcoming book.
URL: habitat76.ca

Habitat I and II Conferences
Location: United Nations Digital Library
Extent: Large online collection of scanned textual records, primarily resolutions and reports.
URL: digitallibrary.un.org and use search terms: United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT I) ; United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (HABITAT II)

Habitat II Conference
Location: Institut Français d’Études Anatoliennes, Istanbul, Turkey
Collection title: The Documentation Fonds of the Habitat II World Conference
Extent: 1009 documents
Short Description: Mr. Stéphane Yerasimos, Director of the Institut Français d’Études Anatoliennes from 1994 to 1999 was involved in the organization of Habitat II including various parallel events such as the Taksim Talks series of roundtables. The fonds contains national reports, press releases, documents pertaining to best practices implemented by cities and countries, documentation pertaining to participation by NGOs and international organizes and notes and reports issued by the Secretary General of the Conference. Note: this collection has not yet been digitized nor incorporated into the Habitat Conferences Digital Archive.
URL: archivis.ifea-istanbul.net/s/fr/page/welcome ; https://oui.hypotheses.org/3074

Audiovisual Material:

Habitat I Conference
Location: University of British Columbia Archives, Vancouver, Canada
Collection title: Centre for Human Settlements fonds [1974-1980; predominant May-June 1976]
Extent: 272 videocassettes (digitized as part of the UBC-Habitat partnership and available on the Habitat Archive YouTube channel); 38 audio tapes (not yet digitized)
Short Description: The Centre for Human Settlements was established at the University of British Columbia at the time of the United Nations Conference of Human Settlements (Habitat ’76) in Vancouver in May 1976.
URL: library.ubc.ca/archives/u_arch/chs.pdf
Film Guide PDF – click here (note that not all of the listed tapes are available in UBC Archives and that country tapes are generally in languages other than English). 

Habitat I Conference
Location: Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Collection title: United Nations Conference on Human Settlement Accession 1976-0288 Mikan 85622
Extent: 220 helical videotapes (8 recordings digitized as part of the UBC-Habitat partnership and available on the Habitat Archive YouTube channel)
Short Description: Collection consists of plenary sessions, committee meetings, and press conferences of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlement, which met in Vancouver, BC from 31 May 1976 to 11 June 1976; the collection includes film footage taken in and around Vancouver; arrivals of various dignitaries; speeches by Trudeau, Danson, Echeverria, Waldheim, walkout by delegates of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), nuclear energy debate, address by Imelda Marcos, water pollution parade with Margaret Trudeau’s march, presentations on the subject of parenting, environmental protection, development of culture and arts sectors.
URL: collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=85622&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=85622,79938 and item list at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/film-video-sound-database/Pages/list.aspx?AccessionNumber=1976-0288&

Habitat I Conference
Location: Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Collection title: United Nations Conference on Human Settlement Accession 1977-0175/Mikan 81525
Extent: 168 x audiotapes (340h)
Short Description: Audio sound track (French and English) of the proceedings of the U.N. Conference on Human Settlement: topics include recording of all sessions and committee meetings; interviews and special events; the Habitat Forum, a non-governmental parallel conference. Recorded by CBC for United Nations secretariat. Note: this collection has not yet been digitized nor incorporated into the Habitat Conferences Digital Archive.
URL: http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=81525 and item list at www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/film-video-sound-database/Pages/list.aspx?AccessionNumber=1977-0175&

Habitat I Conference
Location: Library & Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Collection title: United Nations Conference on Human Settlement Accession 1983-0016 (Mikan 79938)
Extent: 1083 items plus associated elements; 16mm film; videotape; 35mm slides; soundtape
Short Description: Collection consists of 173 titles produced by 108 countries. Material is unprocessed and hence not available for consultation. Note: this collection has not yet been digitized nor incorporated into the Habitat Conferences Digital Archive.
URL: http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=79938&rec_nbr_list=85622,79938 (no item list created).

Habitat I NGO Forum
Location: Virtual Museum, with Head Office in Saskatoon, Canada
Extent and Short Description: The Virtual Museum of Métis History and Culture website includes 25 video recordings of the First Nations Panel at the Habitat Forum, now available on the Habitat Conferences Digital Archive YouTube channel, as well as a transcription provided by Lindsay Brown, now available Habitat Conferences Digital Archive (the Forum Document Archive).
URL: http://www.metismuseum.ca, and specifically http://www.metismuseum.ca/browse/index.php?id=996

Photographic Material:

Habitat I Conference
Library & Archives Canada: Canadian Government Expositions Centre collection
Extent: 5,000 b&w photographs
Short Description: Various aspects of the Conference: conference buildings, rooms, delegates, translation and audiovisual facilities, displays and signage.
URL: collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&rec_nbr=12103&lang=eng&rec_nbr_list=104456,100362,12103  No item list created.

Habitat I Conference
Location: United Nations News & Media (UN Photo)
Extent: 65 b&w digitized photographs
Short Description: Photographs with captions featuring a wide range of subjects and location
URL: unmultimedia.org/photo/search.jsp?query=habitat%20AND%20date:[1976-01-01%20TO%201976-12-01]&startat=0&sf=

Habitat I NGO Forum
Location: Lindsay Brown, Vancouver BC
Extent and Short Description: Collection of photographs acquired from various photographers and individuals involved in the Forum. Lindsay Brown has also supported the digitization of photographs held by the City of Vancouver Archives (see section, below).
URL: habitat76.ca

Habitat I NGO Forum
Location: City of Vancouver Archives, Vancouver, Canada
Collection title: Habitat Forum photograph collection
Extent: 10,550 photographs
Short Description: The collection is comprised of a large assortment of personal photographs taken of the Habitat Forum preparations and during the time of its operation from May 27 – June 11, 1976. The entire collection has been digitized and is available on the Archives’ online database.
URL: http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/habitat-forum-photographs

The images and documents used on this website have been obtained from archives including private archives, the City of Vancouver Archives, the University of British Columbia Archives, Library & Archives Canada, UN Photo and the UN Digital Library. If you wish to use or reference images or documents on this website, please consult the website and/or personnel of the applicable archive for information about their policies on reproduction, copyright, permissions and restrictions.

The Habitat Conferences Digital Archive welcomes content submissions. Please contact robinmkoning@gmail.com or andrewconsiders@gmail.com with details about your material (documents, video files, etc).

For general information about the archive, please contact the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning.

For information about physical archive records, please contact the archive where the item is located (see Archival Sources).

For issues related to operation and maintenance of this website, please contact UBC School of Community and Regional Planning.