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Living In The Map

Living In The Map is hosted by Regrid CEO Jerry Paffendorf and features conversations with artists, activists, historians, and so much more.

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  • Living In The Map (w/ CEO Jerry Paffendorf)

#5 M. Nolan Gray on Arbitrary Lines & Using Maps to Explore Urban Life

Jerry Paffendorf February 17, 2023
In episode 5 of LITM, Regrid CEO Jerry Paffendorf catches up with author, research director, and Ph.D. student M. Nolan Gray. His book Arbitrary Lines explores zoning in the US - its origins and its impacts, and his proposed solutions.
 

 

They discuss Grey's work on map hacking, which involves creatively manipulating and reimagining maps to expose hidden structures and inequalities in our cities.

 

Grey argues that maps are not objective representations of reality but are shaped by the values and interests of their creators. He believes that by actively engaging with maps and reimagining them in new and creative ways, we can gain a better understanding of the social, political, and economic forces that shape our cities; "Maps can be a way of understanding the world, but they can also be a way of changing it." (27:20)

 

Grey shares some examples of his map hacking projects, such as his "Discomfort Zone" map, which visualizes the racial and economic segregation of Los Angeles, and his "Maps of Power" series, which explores the political and economic power structures that shape our cities; "The goal of map hacking is to make visible the invisible, to expose the power structures and the biases that underlie the maps that we use." (11:10)

 

Paffendorf and Grey also discuss the potential risks and limitations of map hacking, such as the danger of reinforcing existing biases and the difficulty of reaching a wider audience beyond the urbanist and artistic communities. Despite these challenges, they both believe that map hacking has the potential to be a powerful tool for social and political change.

ABOUT REGRID:

Regrid is the leading provider of land parcels and location context data for your maps, apps, and spatial analysis. We serve a wide array of industries that require nationwide land parcels and spatial data at scale, including real estate, insurance, energy, infrastructure, agriculture, logistics, and government.

Do you have questions? Would you like to evaluate our dataset or work with property data at scale?
Get in touch with our team of data experts at parcels@regrid.com. 

For local and regional parcel data, please visit our self-serve Data Store, where you can instantly download data by county or state.

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