Archie Archambault’s GPS-Free “Map From the Mind” Project
Designer Archie Archambault creates circular city maps using information from locals and his own cellphone-free exploration. His “Map From the Mind” project began in Portland, thanks to a friend who made a quick map for Archambault when he moved to town. With that friend’s permission, Archambault set off to create the same kind of maps for more and more US cities. Various parks, neighborhoods and significant parts of town become bubbles on Archambault’s maps, each of which he completes after a stint in that city. “It’s a funny challenge to turn [the GPS] off when you go to a new place,” he says, “And it’s kind of alarming how resourceful you get.” As Linda Poon adds, in her story for CityLab, this kind of exercise is beneficial for our brains, which are able to “do sophisticated mapping work, relying on everything from the smell of the city to the feel of a cracked sidewalk.” Read more at CityLab.
Via citylab.com link opens in a new window
