Introduction
I explored the project Mapping Inequality, which I had actually had the opportunity to explore about two years ago in an education class at Carleton. Mapping Inequality visualizes New Deal era (1930s) redlining in many major (and smaller) American cities.
Sources
All of the maps are in the public domain at the National Archives, with the exception of the San Antonio map, held at University of Texas, San Antonio Special collections, and the Portland, Maine map, held at Bowdoin college. The creators of the project also provide links to their data, as well as recommending other projects in the DH sphere.
Processes
Mapping Inequality does not explicitly describe each service component, but it is clear that there are many moving components, such as development of a web application, creation and management of spatial data, site design, creation of learning resources, essay writing, and transcriptions of area data. The project was supported by a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies.
Presentation
Mapping Inequality displays information in a few different ways. The primary way of exploring their data is by exploring their maps and clicking on different locations to view the interactive redlining maps for the respective city. Mapping Inequality additionally provides recurring terms that can be clicked, and then corresponding cities will show up. Furthermore, they provide education about redlining, as well as resources for teaching about redlining.
New Question
Although not necessarily the most specific question, I would have liked to find out more about the processes of the project. Although the project credits people working on the project, it speaks more to the historical significance of the work, rather than the services behind it.
Which academic fields (i.e history) do you see the project in conversation with?
This project is absolutely in conversation with history, as it makes direct reference to an era in American history, as well as specific legislation that resulted in redlining. Furthermore, it could be used in an ethnic studies course, as it is an effective way of visualizing a part of racial disparity during this era.
Who is the target audience? (i.e. specialists? a broader public?)
I believe that the target audience is both educators and students, as there is readily available information, but also provided resources with strategies as to how to teach the topic of redlining. Furthermore, it references the New Deal, which is a very important component of 20th century American history, so it is easy to imagine the use for this project in the classroom.
