
Urban exploration or urbex (Chinese: 城市探險 or 廢墟探險; Japanese: haikyo 廃墟) is the exploration of manmade structures and artificial environments, particularly those found beyond the margins of everyday society. This includes abandoned and disused spaces but also rooftops, underground infrastructure, and many other places not normally open to casual examination. Despite the name the practice is not limited to cities, nor is the focus exclusively on abandoned places. Urbex culture varies across the globe but one unifying convention most explorers adhere to is "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints".