This interactive map traces my walking patterns in Brooklyn, NY from September 1, 2022 to September 1, 2023, through photographs and recordings geo-tagged at the location I took them.  Throughout the year, sometimes I walked aimlessly, without a destination in mind, exploring neighborhoods, and sometimes I walked functionally, to a park, to a friend’s apartment or to an event.

 

As I walked I became familiar not just with different neighborhoods generally but with each building on my various routes, with each bump in the sidewalk and the nuances of sun and shadow on every block. I observed the change in seasons and how it affected the soundscape of each neighborhood, from the quiet lull of winter to the vibrancy of summer with the shouts of children playing in parks, ice cream trucks, farmers markets and outdoor dining. 

 

For me, walking offers a unique mode of interacting with one’s environment, distinctly different from that of cars, buses or subways. Walking consistently through these various neighborhoods has sharpened my perception of each and allowed me to feel more connected to the physical built environment, as well as the communities that inhabit them. 

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After clicking on a photograph, viewers of the map can look at Google's "Street View" of that geo-tagged location. As Street View is updated every three years, over time it will no longer match the map's photographs, thereby tracking changes in the neighborhoods over time.

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                                                                         -Lydia Winsor Brindamour

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