Visualizing the interplay between social and builtspace

Interactive maps play a key role in generating and mediating research knowledge in human-centered urban planning, yet their design principles remain underexplored. This paper draws on feminist geography, cultural studies, and information visualization to inform the design of interactive maps. It argues that interactive maps can reveal the interplay between social and built spaces by enabling comparisons across different time periods and infrastructural conditions. Using visualizations from MIT’s Senseable City Lab, it shows how interactive exploration enables users to engage in visual argumentation, while emphasizing multiple perspectives and uses to allow for more inclusive representations of urban life and its social complexities.