atlas(t)

map animation viii

this one maps the growth of Walmart in the past 40 or 50 years. Wow. Effective. And scary. It's really like a cancer.

Here's another version of the same thing:


This is probably because flowingdata.com, which did the first animation, made the code available. Very cool.

map animation vi

okay, our YouTube map animations have to take a turn for the interesting and meaningful or I'm gonna lose my shit (read: interest.)

This one above is part of a talk by some Canadian dude about who knows what. The data presented here are interesting, though. The first part is simply oil production between 1965 and 2005. The second one is oil production AND consumption. And if you look at the US, those Gil-Scott Heron lyrics (from 1984) start running through my head.

What has happened is that in the last 20 years, America has changed from a producer to a consumer. And all consumers know that when the producer names the tune...the consumer has got to dance. That's the way it is. We used to be a producer – very inflexible at that, and now we are consumers and finding it difficult to understand. Natural resources and minerals will change your world. The Arabs used to be in the 3rd World. They have bought the 2nd World and put a firm down payment on the 1st one. Controlling your resources will control your world. This country has been surprised by the way the world looks now.

Yes indeedy, it has. We should be seeing animated maps like this on the nightly news. The government should be reporting our resource usage to us like a department at a staff meeting: "Today's metrics are ..."

atlas(t) is on twitter!

yes, it's finally happened. I've joined the internet age and started a twitter feed!

It's an experiment, obviously. I'll probably just be posting links to stuff I find on the internet that I somehow don't have the wherewithal to post about. If it works, the feed might be where I do most of my work. Or not. Who knows.

Ennyway, I make no promisses, and if it doesn't work out, no skin off.

By the way, you can find me at: atlastweet.

And the image above is a twitter map of somebody's social networks. It's an interactive map, so go there and double-click on any of the feeds and that feed will show up in the lower window. Cool, huh?

michelle obama relationship map

i don't know why I didn't post this back in February when I found it. Probably had some grand plans for commentary which collapsed in the face of actual paying work. I have, of course, also lost track of the source of this link.

The site it's on is Muckety.com, a place to go to look up just such networks and relationships of power. You can find maps there for Chelsea Clinton, George Clinton, and, of course, Kevin Bacon.

The Kevin Bacon one isn't very satisfying. Despite what everyone says, it seems there's not a lot of power in movies.

A Tale of Two Koreatowns

there's a fight going on between LA's Koreans and Bangladeshis over district naming. In the area known (and mapped), but unofficially, as "Koreatown," the growing Bangladeshi community has asked for a portion in the center of Koreatown to be named, officially, "Little Bangladesh."

The proposal has angered longtime residents who have worked hard to promote the district as a Korean cultural destination and economic hub. City officials, meanwhile, worry that neither side is taking into account the full diversity of an area that is also home to many Latinos and Thai Americans, among others.

More than a name is at stake. Although largely symbolic, the recognition afforded by a special district designation can help establish a community within the cultural mosaic of Southern California, said Hamid Khan, executive director of the nonprofit South Asian Network. When noted on maps and street signs, it can also attract visitors and help local business.

I remember visiting Koreatown throughout the 90s, and all anyone ever said was that there were more Latinos than Koreans in Koreatown.

I think such district naming has less to do with who actually lives there, and more to do with recognizing a particular minority that is (supposedly) only found there. There are no efforts to name Koreatown anything Latino because all of LA is considered Latino.

Two things may be happening here: the first is that Koreans are no longer perceived as being restricted to Koreatown. Perhaps Korean businesses and residents have become so ubiquitous, that they're now perceived to be a universal LA minority, rather than one contained within their enclave. The second is that, in the past decade, Bangladeshis have become a substantial minority.

Although the 2000 census counted just 157 Bangladeshis in Koreatown, a survey conducted five years later by the South Asian Network and the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research suggested a population of 6,000 to 8,000, Khan said. Since then, the Bangladeshi American community says that its numbers have swelled to more than 10,000.

I'm not commenting on what's right here, just on how demographics are changing. Used to be, immigrants of color took over enclaves from European immigrant groups; now they're taking them over from each other. So much for API solidarity.

In other news, the owner of my local cafe just informed me that I live in Koreatown, Oakland. I didn't know that. Turns out, a Korean business owners association voted to create a Koreatown Northgate Oakland Community Benefit Association in 2007, and have been active for the past half-year in doing stuff like getting the Koreatown designation for Telegraph between 20th and 35th approved, buying banners for the street, and starting a blog, which has, so far, only reported on a stolen trash can (but here's hoping.)

Sure there are a lot of Korean businesses and community centers in this area. But the area is still mostly black. And the Korean businesses aren't concentrated. Some of the best restaurants are above 35th, and there's a strip mall around 40th. Also, ground zero for the primarily white gallery center of Oakland's monthly Art Murmur event, is between Grand and 26th along Telegraph. So an argument could be made for this area being designated some sort of artist game preserve.

I don't really care what it's called, but I see the issues, is what I'm saying. I guess they need to designate someplace Koreatown -- if they need to do it at all -- but the area chosen seems somewhat random ... or maybe simply chosen so as not to step on toes. Get much above 40th and you're into the "Temescal" shopping district. They already have banners. Get much below Grand and you're into the new condos-and-entertainment district called "Uptown." They've already sunk a lot of money into bringing the downtown "Uptown" back ... money that's looking like thrown away since the subprime mortgage crisis.

I wonder if it will make a whit of difference, is what I'm wondering.

design: e2

so, back to reviewing atlas(t)ilicious TV shows on Hulu.

The one I've had my eye on for a while is Design: e², "the Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious," a PBS show about sustainable architecture around the world. (Actually, the show is "e²" and the "design" portion of it is about architecture. The architecture series was the first season, in 2006, and the show is now in its 3rd season. The "Design" part appears to be the only season that's available on Hulu, just so you know.)

It's fashionably shot, with the pictures desaturated of color, the edges of the frames out of focus, and slick, generic images of cities and scenes looking curiously static as they combine with Brad Pitt's voice overs. I don't like the stock-photo aesthetic, but I have to admit that it's easier on the eyes -- particularly when you're trying to pay attention to concepts -- than your standard documentary-style show. And most of the talking is done by talking heads -- architects, critics, curators -- while Pitt's voice overs frame the show and add pseudo-poetic touches ("What would Walt Whitman say about sustainable skyscrapers?" Seriously? Is that because Whitman's the only American poet they can be sure their audience will recognize? Did they need to Insert Poet Here?)

The Green Apple, their first episode, focuses on sustainable buildings in New York. This means: 4 Times Square, the new Bank of America building, and the residential complex of Battery Park City. The series, as exemplified here, doesn't tell a story, but rather goes for case studies. But the show tries to dumb the information down to be palatable. This is the worst of both worlds: a narrative structure can carry a lot of information and make it go down easily; a case study structure doesn't move/flow like a narrative, so it has to be interesting and full of information. Neither is fulfilled here, so there are awkward moments when a talking head is trying to say less than they could say in the same amount of time, and there are long explanation sequences when everything is told vaguely and abstractly. It's boring. The show wastes what little time it has, yet seems to drag often.

But there are good arguments made here. Various talking heads point out that high-density cities like New York are far more energy efficient than any low-density residential areas. The products of energy -- heat, light -- are shared willy nilly, and with environmentally conscious design, can become even more efficient.

The second episode, "Green for All," is very different, focusing on a project involving ridiculously photogenic architecture students designing sustainable homes from local materials for poor third world folks, in this case, the Yaqui Indians. Yes, it's another fine episode of "What These People Need Is a Honky," but relatively inoffensive at that, because the focus of the show is not on the political or social dynamics of bringing sustainable architecture to dirt-poor indigenous Mexicans, but on the design itself, which is actually pretty cool.

Of course, the design is underlain by the political and social dynamic, and the hierarchy of personality in this episode is distinctive, and disgusting. Architect Sergio Palleroni is not merely profiled, but gaggingly worshipped, both by the show and by his gaggle of beautiful architecture students. It's all about the genius of Palleroni, not coincidentally a white man. The beautiful architecture students, although mostly male, occupy the position of the beautiful white female in this narrative: adoring, help-meeting, eye-candyish. And, of course, the student picked out to be profiled and followed is, indeed, a lovely young, blonde woman. Yak.

At the bottom of the pole is the Yaqui Indians who populate many frames, but are not identified by name or personality. A translator is interviewed, and some of the grateful recipents of Palleronian largesse are interviewed, as the camera invades their homes. Argh.

Nevertheless, the design is fascinating, the ideas are wonderful, and I only wish that Palleroni and company thought to educate Mexicans in how to design and build their own homes, rather than blonde Texans.

I didn't get any farther than this in my watching because, at base, this show is a bit boring. It goes for generic, as I said above, and achieves it. The design of the show itself, its aesthetic, is very IKEA. I was interested in the ideas, but the show throws as many obstacles between the viewer and the ideas as it does bridges. I'm glad this show was created, but I hope, like reality TV, sustainability TV proliferates, and improves along the way.

obama's urban policy agenda

Image credit

it's all here, folks: Obama's urban policy agenda. Ain't it purty?

Main points below (you can see the explanation on the agenda page):

• Strengthen Federal Commitment to our Cities
  • Create a White House Office on Urban Policy
  • Fully Fund the Community Development Block Grant
  • Do No Harm
• Stimulate Economic Prosperity in our Metropolitan Regions
  • Support Regional Innovation Clusters
  • Support Job Creation
  • Enhance Workforce Training
  • Increase Access to Capital for Underserved Businesses
  • Create a National Network of Public-Private Business Incubators
  • Convert our Manufacturing Centers into Clean Technology Leaders
• Strengthen Core Infrastructure
  • Improve Access to Jobs
  • Invest in a Skilled Clean Technologies Workforce
• Housing
  • Lower Interest Payments by Creating a New Mortgage Interest Tax Credit
  • Increase the Supply of Affordable Housing throughout Metropolitan Regions
• Poverty
  • Establish 'Promise Neighborhoods' for Areas of Concentrated Poverty
  • Increase the Minimum Wage
  • Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit
  • Help Low-Income Workers Enter the Job Market
• Livability of Cities
  • Build More Livable and Sustainable Communities
  • Control Superfund Sites and Data
  • Use Innovative Measures to Dramatically Improve Efficiency of Buildings
  • Foster Healthy Communities
• Urban Education
  • Support Teachers in Urban Schools
  • Expand Early Childhood Education
  • Reduce the High School Dropout Rate
• Crime and Law Enforcement
  • Support Local Law Enforcement
  • Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Supports
  • End the Dangerous Cycle of Youth Violence
  • Address Gun Violence in Cities
• Homeland Security
  • Allocate Funds Based on Risk
  • Prepare Effective Emergency Response Plans
  • Improve Interoperable Communications Systems
  • Safeguard Mass Public Transportation
• Families
  • Provide a Tax Cut for Working Families
  • Strengthening Fatherhood and Families
  • Support Parents with Young Children
  • Expand High-Quality Afterschool Opportunities
  • Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
  • Cap Outlandish Interest Rates on Payday Loans and Improve Disclosure
  • Encourage Responsible Lending Institutions to Make Small Consumer Loans

Well my first -- and perhaps only -- comment is: wow, Obama's a man of his time, isn't he? Or maybe: Obama's a man of my time. And that is a time of general, upper-middle class fascination with geography, urbanism, city planning, and the trappings of such. I've said it before and I'm saying it now. And let me add: this fascination is now officially shaping national domestic and foreign policy.

Go to the agenda area of his White House website and have a look through it. "Urban policy" is (tied with "Homeland Security") hands down the longest, most departmentalized, and most detailed policy category, and that includes "foreign policy." ("Technology" and "Women" tie for second -- this is by feel, by the way. I didn't actually count lines or bullet points.)

This is because he's filtering all city-related issues through the lens of urban policy, and not splitting them off by themselves. Yes, there are separate agenda sections on economy, poverty, education, families, and homeland security, but each of these addresses these issues in a different way from how they are addressed in the urban policy section. This, my lovelies, is how a community organizer from Chicagoland sees the world. I can't wait until somebody comes up with an Obama map of the United States.

I'll be updating as Da Prez starts issuing commands and making good. This ought to be interesting.

prop 8 map mashup

i've blogged about implicitly threatening map mashups before (somewhere ...), and here they come, back around. Once again, this one is about same sex marriage -- in this case, who donated money to the Proposition 8 campaign. Somebody has done a Google Maps mashup to locate the addresses of Prop 8 donors on a map. Of course, these addresses are always available to the public under sunshine laws, and anyone can go and plug them into Google Maps themselves -- one by one -- if they want to see it on a map.

But of course, no one is going to go that extra step. The mashup accomplishes two things, actually:

1. It is mildly, implicitly threatening. It goes the extra step, removes the extra layer, to make it possible to see instantly where all the donors live on a map. It takes away the slight inconvenience that would prevent most people from seeing these addresses on a map ... and maybe doing something about it. It's all the more threatening because there are so few donors in San Francisco (pull back on the map and you'll see a lot more dots in the East Bay and the Central Valley.) Someone could potentially do an action with every single one of these addresses.
2. It gives us a better demographic feel for who is supporting Prop 8 and why. You'll notice, of course, almost nothing in the hipster Mission or the gay district, The Castro. This is something that you really need to map out the addresses to be able to see. This is one of the virtues of mapping.

So one informative, and one mildly antidemocratic purpose.

While transparency in political donations is essential, and demographic information is useful, I don't see what purpose it serves to have the name and street address of individuals donating to a particular cause shown on a map, expect to intimidate them. Why not have an ambiguous dot, with no name-labeling, hovering over the blocks of their houses without pointing out the exact house? That will give you the virtue of demographic information without the intimidation factor. Because frankly, if I knew that pro-life groups had my location on a map showing people who had donated money to Planned Parenthood, and were broadcasting it to their crazy fire-bombing fringes on the internet, I might think twice about making that donation.

On the other hand, Prop 8 supporters trying to overturn the 1974 California donor sunshine Proposition 9, is not the right response. You don't throw the application out with the mashup. Just make public map mashups using donor or voter names illegal, or even just unethical, and this stuff will stop. People will still be able to get lists and look the names up one by one. Orgs will still be able to mashup maps and use them internally, especially for research. But this kind of public encouragement of ... whatever ... won't be possible anymore. And I think that's enough.

What do you think?
Via.

obama's hud agenda

Oops, I neglected to publish this a couple of weeks ago. Sorry! I'll follow up on this soon.

weird. Obama has dedicated this whole broadcast to building up HUD in the public mind. He even acknowledges -- vaguely -- HUD's bullshit "urban renewal" policies.

But then, right before he announces his selection of Sean Donovan as his new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, he says this, which I can't help taking as a blueprint for not just his HUD policy, but his financial development policy: "promoting cities as the backbone of regional growth, by not only solving the problems in our cities, but seizing the opportunities in our growing suburbs, exurbs, and metropolitan areas."

Of course, I think the blueprint is just this part: "promoting cities as the backbone of regional growth," while the rest is a his sop to diversity.

Fascinating that Obama has taken a crisis that's understood as a financial crisis -- the mortgage crisis -- and started pushing instead an agenda that makes it an affordable housing crisis. I'll lay 50 to 1 this was on his agenda four years ago and he would have found a way to make it stick no matter what happened. Smart.

puppet street

the renaming in San Francisco of Bush Street to Obama Street this week has reminded folks of the inaugural prank in 2001, when folks renamed Bush Street "Puppet" Street.

You can see photos here.

And here's a video documenting the action:

Typical SF culture jamming, except with the collusion/blind eye of the police, who didn't care, or enjoyed it. Interesting that culture jamming that attacks government is fine, but culture jamming that attacks business interests is ... not.