The Underhill papers include reports, correspondence, financial documents, plans, publications, and general information on new planned communities. Also included is a series of oversized maps from different new towns including Flower Mound, St. Charles and Roosevelt Island. The collection is comprised of Jack Underhill's personal papers that he accumulated while employed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The papers document the Federal New Communities Program which sponsored the development of 13 new towns. It also documents Underhill's research interests in private new towns and international urban planning. The collection covers the period of time from the 1963 to 1997.

Series 1 is correspondence which is dated from 1970 to 1983. The correspondence is primarily related to New Community Development Corporation. The correspondence is also broken down into months and years that they were received.

Series 2 is compiled of reports that are dated from 1967 to 1990. The information on the reports is about different planned communities in progress. Some of the reports in this series were submitted to Congress. Also included in the series are two boxes of microfiche.

Series 3 is plans involving various planned community projects that dates from 1969 to 1992. The information in the series includes project summaries, project evaluations, business plans and project lists.

Series 4 includes information on different places that is dated from 1968 to 1985. The information is on a variety of places within the United States. Also in the series are reports on places outside the United States, such as Russia, France and Israel. The information from the foreign countries are evaluations on the planned communities in those countries. The last few boxes in this series are not just paper work instead it is census data and computer printouts from the different planned communities.

Series 5 contains information dated from 1970-1997. This series contains documents on welfare reform, homelessness, and housing and climate in the United States and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. There are also reports, assessments, and summaries.

Series 6 is a variety of histories dated from 1964 to 1983. The paperwork includes the history of Reston, administration history of different project and new planned communities.

Series 7 includes financial information that is dated from 1969 to 1983. The documents include information on the budget, costs, mortgages and banking for the different planned communities that were being built and maintained during that time period.

Series 8 is general information from 1963 to 1987. The documents in the series from a variety of different sources, including reference material, outlines, fact sheets, American Institution of Architects Conference, interviews, New League Community and New Town.

Series 9 is a variety of publications that were published from 1965 to 1983. The items that are included in this series are different articles, journals and press releases.

Series 10 are drafts from different books that are dated from 1969 to 1984. The books are drafts, work books and briefing books for different witnesses that are testifying before Congress.

Series 11 is a collection of oversized maps. The New Town maps document different locations that are included in the paperwork in the rest of the collection.