Mapping Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a city that was mapped before it was built. Founder William Penn's original concept for the gridded city continues to inform the historical evolution of Philadelphia, even as city planners, architects, artists, and social justice activists work to transform the layers of our built environment. This class will study the city through a variety of archival maps, historical mapping practices, and emergent digital approaches to representing space and time. We will explore public history projects that seek approaches to place-making and place-keeping at neighborhood intersections, share dialogue with social practice artists who produce site- specific works, and visualize civic data through platforms such as OpenDataPhilly. Each student will pursue a final research project resulting in a close study of a particular street or intersection in the city.