Dot Mapping Segregation in Chicago

Yale assistant professor Bill Rankin, proprietor of Radical Cartography addresses segregation in Chicago. He believes that block mapping is inaccurate. As Rankin points out, solid-color maps "visually reinforce political ideals... of ethnic homogeneity." His solution is to create census-based "dot maps," an old but infrequently used form of cartography. His award-winning dot-map of Chicago makes a great companion to the other maps of the city, because you can see how neighborhoods break down by race. Let's let him explain:

See more on Bill Rankin's Radical Cartography website.

Hayt School

I came upon these images today and realized that I never shared them. In the spring of 2011 while Killing Season was showing at Mes Hall in Rogers Park, I got to do a workshop with a group of young men from Hayt Elementary School. They were part of a club at their school for African-American and Hispanic boys. Since the recent influx of hispanic families into the area, there have been some issues with violence between the two groups. This club was aimed at mending that rift.



After checking out the exhibition, we had a discussion about violence and "the broken window theory. " the kids were broken up into two groups to go out and photograph with disposable cameras. They were asked to take pictures of things that could be indicative of violence in the neighborhood. The images that they took were fantastic and insightful. Here are a smattering of some of my favorites.