Mapping Martin Drive East:
We began this project with a site visit. We produced experiential maps that documented how we experience the Martin Drive East neighborhood. The social, sensory, and environmental richness of this space drove future designs and actions.
A map shows the city as an object produced by a common city grid. What we experienced in Martin Drive E was much different. Take for instance, the experience of meeting a man and his father who were remodeling a recent house that the man had purchased. As we spoke to this new homeowner, the importance of this one place and the craft and care they put into making it their home, became clear to us. This experience showed us the pride that this individual took to his property as well as how his personal impressions and experiences determined how he saw his street and neighborhood. Another experience that influenced our process was when we discovered a number of bowling balls located around the neighborhood, such as next to a building or in a yard. We discovered that a bowling alley was located on the far north side of the neighborhood. While the bowling alley clued us into a possible reason for the appearance of bowling balls in odd locations, we became aware of specific and individualized stories behind the appearance of each of these bowling balls in various locations within this neighborhood. Both stories show how individual experiences of residents collectively produce Martin Drive East as a unique neighborhood and we discovered, overlaid on top of this urban grid, a complex world made of experiences, emotions and memories.
We overlaid the quantitative and the quantitative data, searching for answers. The maps below show light, sounds, smell, views, rhythm and spatial configurations as well as quantitative data such as traffic figures, census demographics, land-use, property ownership records and signage. We identified that wind flow and patterns were different and changed from one street to another street. On some locations we found trash left unattended and wondered why residents didn't take care of these pockets. We found wooden pallets among the trash and pondered how we could use this leftover material in order to create new catalytic installations.
A map shows the city as an object produced by a common city grid. What we experienced in Martin Drive E was much different. Take for instance, the experience of meeting a man and his father who were remodeling a recent house that the man had purchased. As we spoke to this new homeowner, the importance of this one place and the craft and care they put into making it their home, became clear to us. This experience showed us the pride that this individual took to his property as well as how his personal impressions and experiences determined how he saw his street and neighborhood. Another experience that influenced our process was when we discovered a number of bowling balls located around the neighborhood, such as next to a building or in a yard. We discovered that a bowling alley was located on the far north side of the neighborhood. While the bowling alley clued us into a possible reason for the appearance of bowling balls in odd locations, we became aware of specific and individualized stories behind the appearance of each of these bowling balls in various locations within this neighborhood. Both stories show how individual experiences of residents collectively produce Martin Drive East as a unique neighborhood and we discovered, overlaid on top of this urban grid, a complex world made of experiences, emotions and memories.
We overlaid the quantitative and the quantitative data, searching for answers. The maps below show light, sounds, smell, views, rhythm and spatial configurations as well as quantitative data such as traffic figures, census demographics, land-use, property ownership records and signage. We identified that wind flow and patterns were different and changed from one street to another street. On some locations we found trash left unattended and wondered why residents didn't take care of these pockets. We found wooden pallets among the trash and pondered how we could use this leftover material in order to create new catalytic installations.