"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
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