"Portlandness: A Cultural Atlas" exemplifies the powers of maps to reshape and redefine our communities. Just watch how they can change expectations about the culture of the city infamously known as "Portlandia."
Steve Duin reports on a new book by Hunter Shobe, called Portlandness: A Cultural Atlas. The book is guided by the principle that "we have unique ways to illustrate the city's enduring and evolving space."
Among the maps included in the book: a map of all the surveillance cameras in the city, and "path of least surveillance" through them all. It also "maps ghost sightings, the most treacherous sidewalks in the Pearl, the city's original ethnic enclaves, the red-lining of Alberta, and the impact of surging property values along North Mississippi Avenue."
Also included in the book is a map created by a class of third graders from Jason Lee K-8. The class selected 82nd Avenue as the center of the city—an area that isn't really on the map for most Portlanders, but for these students, "it's an area rich in meaning," explains Shobe in the article. Shobe adds: "It forces us to re-imagine a place we think we know really well."
FULL STORY: Steve Duin: The coolest maps of Portland you've ever seen
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.