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Urban exploration, or UE, is the examination of the unseen or off-limits parts of human civilization.

UE can further be separated into subcategories. Urban explorers do any or all of these things, but often specialize on one or two.

Abandonments

Ventures into abandoned structures are perhaps the most common example of UE. Common targets are manufacturing facilities, brickworks, grain elevators, and houses. Abandoned sites are generally entered first by locals, and often sport large amounts of graffiti and other vandalism. Explorers often focus on the natural and unnatural decay of the structure.

Tunnels

Tunnels include steam and utility tunnels, mill headraces and tailraces, subway and other transit tunnels, and drains. Many schools have a tradition of steam tunnel exploration by students, which is called vadding at MIT. Entry into storm drains, or draining, is another common form of UE. Groups devoted to the task have arisen, such as the Cave Clan in Australia. Draining has a specialized set of guidelines, the foremost of which is "When it rains, no drains."

Active Buildings

The exploration of active buildings is commonly known as infiltration. this includes seeing secured or member-only areas, mechanical rooms, roofs, elevator rooms, and other unseen parts.

Ethics

In many places, UE is a crime. Explorers generally justify their crimes as usufruct, because they enjoy the location without causing harm or depriving the owner of their property. The common but not entirely accurate catchphrase for this ethical standpoint is the Sierra Club's motto: "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." The common code of ethics frowns heavily upon theft, vandalism, tagging, graffitti, and any other crime except for simple harmless trespassing.

Exceptions to the rule exist. Graffitti in drains is often condoned or encouraged, as long as speleothems and other features aren't damaged. Some explorers remove items from abandoned sites, to preserve them or to have a souvenir. Many locations contain a small area reserved for leaving tags, known as a guest book.

See also: Caving, Catacombs of Paris

External links

Community Resources

• http://www.urbanexplorers.net - Information and the mailing list Underground
• http://www.infiltration.org - The zine Infiltration
• http://www.uer.ca - The Urban Exploration Resource fora

Group & Personal Pages

• Urbanadventure
• Atlantic Avenue Tunnel Abandoned Stations
• Urban Exploration Canada
• Basement Freaks Urban Exploration
• Action Squad: Minneapolis Urban Adventurers