diff --git a/hott/book.md b/hott/book.md
index 693da6119c..909d6b03a2 100644
--- a/hott/book.md
+++ b/hott/book.md
@@ -137,6 +137,8 @@ Chapter 7: Homotopy n-types
 Chapter 8: Homotopy theory
 ---------
 
+Unless otherwise noted, the files are in the folder [homotopy](homotopy/homotopy.md)
+
 - 8.1 (π_1(S^1)): [hit.circle](hit/circle.hlean) (only one of the proofs)
 - 8.2 (Connectedness of suspensions): not formalized
 - 8.3 (πk≤n of an n-connected space and π_{k<n}(S^n)): not formalized
diff --git a/hott/function.hlean b/hott/function.hlean
index fc2de6aa22..9da90f0eb4 100644
--- a/hott/function.hlean
+++ b/hott/function.hlean
@@ -223,6 +223,16 @@ namespace function
 
   variable {f}
 
+  -- Lemma 3.11.7
+  definition is_contr_retract {A B : Type} (r : A → B) [H : is_retraction r]
+    : is_contr A → is_contr B :=
+  begin
+    intro CA,
+    apply is_contr.mk (r (center A)),
+    intro b,
+    exact ap r (center_eq (is_retraction.sect r b)) ⬝ (is_retraction.right_inverse r b)
+  end
+
   local attribute is_hprop_is_retraction_prod_is_section [instance]
   definition is_retraction_prod_is_section_equiv_is_equiv
     : (is_retraction f × is_section f) ≃ is_equiv f :=
diff --git a/hott/hit/hit.md b/hott/hit/hit.md
index 521c44f28b..38caac3e7b 100644
--- a/hott/hit/hit.md
+++ b/hott/hit/hit.md
@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ primitive are n-truncation and quotients. These are defined in
 [init.hit](../init/hit.hlean) and they have definitional computation
 rules on the point constructors.
 
+Here we find hits related to the basic structure theory of HoTT.  The
+hits related to homotopy theory are defined in
+[homotopy](../homotopy/homotopy.md).
+
 Files in this folder:
 
 * [quotient](quotient.hlean) (quotients, primitive)
@@ -15,9 +19,4 @@ Files in this folder:
 * [colimit](colimit.hlean) (Colimits of arbitrary diagrams and sequential colimits, defined using quotients)
 * [pushout](pushout.hlean) (Pushouts, defined using quotients)
 * [coeq](coeq.hlean) (Co-equalizers, defined using quotients)
-* [cylinder](cylinder.hlean) (Mapping cylinders, defined using quotients)
 * [set_quotient](set_quotient.hlean) (Set-quotients, defined using quotients and set-truncation)
-* [suspension](suspension.hlean) (Suspensions, defined using pushouts)
-* [sphere](sphere.hlean) (Higher spheres, defined recursively using suspensions)
-* [circle](circle.hlean) (defined as sphere 1)
-* [interval](interval.hlean) (defined as the suspension of unit)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/hott/homotopy/cellcomplex.hlean b/hott/homotopy/cellcomplex.hlean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e69a21982b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hott/homotopy/cellcomplex.hlean
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2015 Ulrik Buchholtz. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Ulrik Buchholtz
+-/
+import types.trunc hit.sphere hit.pushout
+
+open eq is_trunc is_equiv nat equiv trunc prod pushout sigma sphere_index unit
+
+-- where should this be?
+definition family : Type := ΣX, X → Type
+
+-- this should be in init!
+namespace nat
+
+  definition cases {M : ℕ → Type} (mz : M zero) (ms : Πn, M (succ n)) : Πn, M n :=
+  nat.rec mz (λn dummy, ms n)
+
+end nat
+
+namespace cellcomplex
+
+  /-
+    define by recursion on ℕ
+    both the type of fdccs of dimension n
+    and the realization map fdcc n → Type
+
+    in other words, we define a function
+    fdcc : ℕ → family
+
+    an alternative to the approach here (perhaps necessary) is to
+    define relative cell complexes relative to a type A, and then use
+    spherical indexing, so a -1-dimensional relative cell complex is
+    just star : unit with realization A
+  -/
+
+  definition fdcc_family [reducible] : ℕ → family :=
+  nat.rec
+    -- a zero-dimensional cell complex is just an hset
+    -- with realization the identity map
+    ⟨hset , λA, trunctype.carrier A⟩
+    (λn fdcc_family_n, -- sigma.rec (λ fdcc_n realize_n,
+      /- a (succ n)-dimensional cell complex is a triple of
+         an n-dimensional cell complex X, an hset of (succ n)-cells A,
+         and an attaching map f : A × sphere n → |X| -/
+      ⟨Σ X : pr1 fdcc_family_n , Σ A : hset, A × sphere n → pr2 fdcc_family_n X ,
+      /- the realization of such is the pushout of f with
+         canonical map A × sphere n → unit -/
+       sigma.rec (λX , sigma.rec (λA f, pushout (λx , star) f))
+      ⟩)
+
+  definition fdcc (n : ℕ) : Type := pr1 (fdcc_family n)
+
+  definition cell : Πn, fdcc n → hset :=
+  nat.cases (λA, A) (λn T, pr1 (pr2 T))
+
+end cellcomplex
diff --git a/hott/hit/circle.hlean b/hott/homotopy/circle.hlean
similarity index 100%
rename from hott/hit/circle.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/circle.hlean
diff --git a/hott/homotopy/connectedness.hlean b/hott/homotopy/connectedness.hlean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e08ed2daf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hott/homotopy/connectedness.hlean
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2015 Ulrik Buchholtz. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Ulrik Buchholtz
+-/
+import types.trunc
+
+open eq is_trunc is_equiv nat equiv trunc function
+
+-- TODO(Ulrik) move this to somewhere else (cannot be sigma b/c dep. on fiber)
+namespace sigma
+  variables {A : Type} {P Q : A → Type}
+
+  definition total [reducible] (f : Πa, P a → Q a) : (Σa, P a) → (Σa, Q a) :=
+  sigma.rec (λa p, ⟨a , f a p⟩)
+
+  -- Theorem 4.7.6
+  --definition fiber_total_equiv (f : Πa, P a → Q a) {a : A} (q : Q a)
+  --  : fiber (total f) ⟨a , q⟩ ≃ fiber (f a) q :=
+  --sorry
+
+end sigma
+
+-- TODO(Ulrik) move this to somewhere else (cannot be unit b/c dep. on fiber)
+namespace unit
+
+  definition fiber_star_equiv (A : Type) : fiber (λx : A, star) star ≃ A :=
+  begin
+    fapply equiv.MK,
+    { intro f, cases f with a H, exact a },
+    { intro a, apply fiber.mk a, reflexivity },
+    { intro a, reflexivity },
+    { intro f, cases f with a H, change fiber.mk a (refl star) = fiber.mk a H,
+      rewrite [is_hset.elim H (refl star)] }
+  end
+
+end unit
+
+namespace homotopy
+
+  definition is_conn (n : trunc_index) (A : Type) : Type :=
+  is_contr (trunc n A)
+
+  definition is_conn_map (n : trunc_index) {A B : Type} (f : A → B) : Type :=
+  Πb : B, is_conn n (fiber f b)
+
+  definition is_conn_of_map_to_unit (n : trunc_index) (A : Type)
+    : is_conn_map n (λx : A, unit.star) → is_conn n A :=
+  begin
+    intro H, unfold is_conn_map at H,
+    rewrite [-(ua (unit.fiber_star_equiv A))],
+    exact (H unit.star)
+  end
+
+  -- Lemma 7.5.2
+  definition minus_one_conn_of_surjective {A B : Type} (f : A → B)
+    : is_surjective f → is_conn_map -1 f :=
+  begin
+    intro H, intro b,
+    exact @is_contr_of_inhabited_hprop (∥fiber f b∥) (is_trunc_trunc -1 (fiber f b)) (H b),
+  end
+
+  definition is_surjection_of_minus_one_conn {A B : Type} (f : A → B)
+    : is_conn_map -1 f → is_surjective f :=
+  begin
+    intro H, intro b,
+    exact @center (∥fiber f b∥) (H b),
+  end
+
+  definition merely_of_minus_one_conn {A : Type} : is_conn -1 A → ∥ A ∥ :=
+  λH, @center (∥A∥) H
+
+  definition minus_one_conn_of_merely {A : Type} : ∥A∥ → is_conn -1 A :=
+  @is_contr_of_inhabited_hprop (∥A∥) (is_trunc_trunc -1 A)
+
+end homotopy
diff --git a/hott/hit/cylinder.hlean b/hott/homotopy/cylinder.hlean
similarity index 99%
rename from hott/hit/cylinder.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/cylinder.hlean
index 917e8be638..33df53e9a6 100644
--- a/hott/hit/cylinder.hlean
+++ b/hott/homotopy/cylinder.hlean
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Authors: Floris van Doorn
 Declaration of mapping cylinders
 -/
 
-import .quotient
+import hit.quotient
 
 open quotient eq sum equiv equiv.ops
 
diff --git a/hott/homotopy/homotopy.md b/hott/homotopy/homotopy.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9f32c16e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hott/homotopy/homotopy.md
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+homotopy
+========
+
+Development of Homotopy Theory, including basic hits (higher inductive
+types; see also [hit](../hit/hit.md)). The following files are in this
+folder (sorted such that files only import previous files).
+
+* [cylinder](cylinder.hlean) (Mapping cylinders, defined using quotients)
+* [susp](susp.hlean) (Suspensions, defined using pushouts)
+* [red_susp](red_susp.hlean) (Reduced suspensions)
+* [sphere](sphere.hlean) (Higher spheres, defined recursively using suspensions)
+* [circle](circle.hlean) (defined as sphere 1)
+* [torus](torus.hlean) (defined as a two-quotient)
+* [interval](interval.hlean) (defined as the suspension of unit)
+* [cellcomplex](cellcomplex.hlean) (general cell complexes)
+* [connectedness](connectedness.hlean)
+
diff --git a/hott/hit/interval.hlean b/hott/homotopy/interval.hlean
similarity index 100%
rename from hott/hit/interval.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/interval.hlean
diff --git a/hott/hit/red_susp.hlean b/hott/homotopy/red_susp.hlean
similarity index 97%
rename from hott/hit/red_susp.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/red_susp.hlean
index cebb452d56..dd2ec0d811 100644
--- a/hott/hit/red_susp.hlean
+++ b/hott/homotopy/red_susp.hlean
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Authors: Floris van Doorn
 Declaration of the reduced suspension
 -/
 
-import .two_quotient types.pointed algebra.e_closure
+import hit.two_quotient types.pointed algebra.e_closure
 
 open simple_two_quotient eq unit pointed e_closure
 
diff --git a/hott/hit/sphere.hlean b/hott/homotopy/sphere.hlean
similarity index 99%
rename from hott/hit/sphere.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/sphere.hlean
index 8fa9bb2afe..d21d807811 100644
--- a/hott/hit/sphere.hlean
+++ b/hott/homotopy/sphere.hlean
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ open eq nat susp bool is_trunc unit pointed
 /-
   We can define spheres with the following possible indices:
   - trunc_index (defining S^-2 = S^-1 = empty)
-  - nat (forgetting that S^1 = empty)
+  - nat (forgetting that S^-1 = empty)
   - nat, but counting wrong (S^0 = empty, S^1 = bool, ...)
   - some new type "integers >= -1"
   We choose the last option here.
diff --git a/hott/hit/susp.hlean b/hott/homotopy/susp.hlean
similarity index 99%
rename from hott/hit/susp.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/susp.hlean
index 21d02d2fab..353b7a652b 100644
--- a/hott/hit/susp.hlean
+++ b/hott/homotopy/susp.hlean
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ Authors: Floris van Doorn
 Declaration of suspension
 -/
 
-import .pushout types.pointed cubical.square
+import hit.pushout types.pointed cubical.square
 
 open pushout unit eq equiv equiv.ops
 
diff --git a/hott/hit/torus.hlean b/hott/homotopy/torus.hlean
similarity index 99%
rename from hott/hit/torus.hlean
rename to hott/homotopy/torus.hlean
index c7dbdabca3..61e6074977 100644
--- a/hott/hit/torus.hlean
+++ b/hott/homotopy/torus.hlean
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ Authors: Floris van Doorn
 Declaration of the torus
 -/
 
-import .two_quotient
+import hit.two_quotient
 
 open two_quotient eq bool unit relation
 
diff --git a/hott/types/arrow_2.hlean b/hott/types/arrow_2.hlean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..719cb152a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hott/types/arrow_2.hlean
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2015 Ulrik Buchholtz. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Authors: Ulrik Buchholtz
+-/
+
+import ..function
+
+open eq is_equiv function
+
+namespace arrow
+
+  structure arrow :=
+    (dom : Type)
+    (cod : Type)
+    (arrow : dom → cod)
+
+  abbreviation dom [unfold 2] := @arrow.dom
+  abbreviation cod [unfold 2] := @arrow.cod
+
+  structure morphism (A B : Type) :=
+    (mor : A → B)
+
+  definition morphism_of_arrow [coercion] (f : arrow) : morphism (dom f) (cod f) :=
+  morphism.mk (arrow.arrow f)
+
+  attribute morphism.mor [coercion]
+
+  structure arrow_hom (f g : arrow) :=
+    (on_dom : dom f → dom g)
+    (on_cod : cod f → cod g)
+    (commute : Π(x : dom f), g (on_dom x) = on_cod (f x))
+
+  abbreviation on_dom [unfold 2] := @arrow_hom.on_dom
+  abbreviation on_cod [unfold 2] := @arrow_hom.on_cod
+  abbreviation commute [unfold 2] := @arrow_hom.commute
+
+  variables {f g : arrow}
+
+  definition on_fiber [reducible] (r : arrow_hom f g) (y : cod f)
+    : fiber f y → fiber g (on_cod r y) :=
+  fiber.rec (λx p, fiber.mk (on_dom r x) (commute r x ⬝ ap (on_cod r) p))
+
+  structure is_retraction [class] (r : arrow_hom f g) : Type :=
+    (sect : arrow_hom g f)
+    (right_inverse_dom : Π(a : dom g), on_dom r (on_dom sect a) = a)
+    (right_inverse_cod : Π(b : cod g), on_cod r (on_cod sect b) = b)
+    (cohere : Π(a : dom g), commute r (on_dom sect a) ⬝ ap (on_cod r) (commute sect a)
+                            = ap g (right_inverse_dom a) ⬝ (right_inverse_cod (g a))⁻¹)
+
+  definition retraction_on_fiber [reducible] (r : arrow_hom f g) [H : is_retraction r]
+    (b : cod g) : fiber f (on_cod (is_retraction.sect r) b) → fiber g b :=
+  fiber.rec (λx q, fiber.mk (on_dom r x) (commute r x ⬝ ap (on_cod r) q ⬝ is_retraction.right_inverse_cod r b))
+
+  definition retraction_on_fiber_right_inverse' (r : arrow_hom f g) [H : is_retraction r]
+    (a : dom g) (b : cod g) (p : g a = b)
+    : retraction_on_fiber r b (on_fiber (is_retraction.sect r) b (fiber.mk a p)) = fiber.mk a p :=
+  begin
+    induction p, unfold on_fiber, unfold retraction_on_fiber,
+    apply @fiber.fiber_eq _ _ g (g a)
+      (fiber.mk
+        (on_dom r (on_dom (is_retraction.sect r) a))
+        (commute r (on_dom (is_retraction.sect r) a)
+          ⬝ ap (on_cod r) (commute (is_retraction.sect r) a)
+          ⬝ is_retraction.right_inverse_cod r (g a)))
+      (fiber.mk a (refl (g a)))
+      (is_retraction.right_inverse_dom r a), -- everything but this field should be inferred
+    unfold fiber.point_eq,
+    rewrite [is_retraction.cohere r a],
+    apply inv_con_cancel_right
+  end
+
+  definition retraction_on_fiber_right_inverse (r : arrow_hom f g) [H : is_retraction r]
+    : Π(b : cod g), Π(z : fiber g b), retraction_on_fiber r b (on_fiber (is_retraction.sect r) b z) = z :=
+  λb, fiber.rec (λa p, retraction_on_fiber_right_inverse' r a b p)
+
+  -- Lemma 4.7.3
+  definition retraction_on_fiber_is_retraction [instance] (r : arrow_hom f g) [H : is_retraction r]
+    (b : cod g) : _root_.is_retraction (retraction_on_fiber r b) :=
+  _root_.is_retraction.mk (on_fiber (is_retraction.sect r) b) (retraction_on_fiber_right_inverse r b)
+
+  -- Theorem 4.7.4
+  definition retract_of_equivalence_is_equivalence (r : arrow_hom f g) [H : is_retraction r]
+    [K : is_equiv f] : is_equiv g :=
+  begin
+    apply @is_equiv_of_is_contr_fun _ _ g,
+    intro b,
+    apply is_contr_retract (retraction_on_fiber r b),
+    exact is_contr_fun_of_is_equiv f (on_cod (is_retraction.sect r) b)
+  end
+
+end arrow
diff --git a/hott/types/types.md b/hott/types/types.md
index d538723033..6fd7382897 100644
--- a/hott/types/types.md
+++ b/hott/types/types.md
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ Types (not necessarily HoTT-related):
 * [pi](pi.hlean)
 * [arrow](arrow.hlean)
 * [W](W.hlean): W-types (not loaded by default)
+* [arrow_2](arrow_2.hlean): alternative development of properties of arrows
 
 HoTT types