My Article and Map Critique
Michigan State University- Geo221v Final Assignment
Article Critique
Title: Mapping Prejudice: The Map Library as a Hub for Community Co-Creation and Social Change
Source: Advances in Geospatial Information, Collections & Archives, Volume 18.
Authors: Ryan Mattke, Kirsten Delegard & Danya Leebaw
Date Published: June 14, 2022
Summary:
This is a journal article, written about racism in housing and the impacts of residential segregation, specifically in urban neighborhoods. This article follows historical residential racism in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is noted how there was a time in history, in which people of color were not allowed to purchase homes, nor were people allowed to sell to those who were not of caucasian descent. Some areas were so segregated that it was referred to as two different realities. Because people of color were not able to purchase homes, they lacked the ability to gain generational wealth and this has stunted mobility in several communities. In order to convey the information found in this experiment, the researchers used maps to report their findings as well as do their own research. To find the information, they had to use redlining maps (which detailed in red the neighborhoods- usually black- that were not good to loan for homes), they used geospatial visualizations, cartographic visualizations, and data sets. All in all, the data found and reported were called qualitative GIS due to its overlapping content.
Map Critique
Map Title: Poverty in the United States
Map Sources: United States Census Bureau
Map authors: N/A; United States Census
Summary:
This map is from 2015 and the poverty rate from state to state in the United States. It is color coded in blue. The purpose of this map is to bring awareness to each state and how much people are living in an impoverished state. Although it is clear when one first looks at the graph, I do think it becomes a bit confusing because almost everything on the map and page is in a blue color. The color somewhat clashes in a sense. I personally would’ve used a different color for the title, and the border at the bottom of the page, and I would’ve bolded the states, making it easier to understand. I think the layout is decent but as I mentioned earlier, the colors somewhat clash a bit. I also feel that the map is not as descriptive as I’d hope it would be. For someone who knows little about maps, I think that it would be easy to understand; however, if you are taking a course such as this one or you are looking to do research, I feel that it lacks a bit of detailed information. The key is there, which also allows readers to understand, and there are a few scales on the map as well.
Poverty in the United States- Data from 2015 https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/2016/comm/cb16-158_poverty_map.html
