The Cartographic and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS) has awarded Gergely Baics, associate professor of history and urban studies and Director of Urban Studies at Barnard, and members of his team, two prizes for their submission at the 49th Annual Map Design Competition. The researchers’ project, titled “Mapping Historical New York: A Digital Atlas,” placed first in the Digital/Interactive Map category and tied for first place in Best of Show (all categories). The Mapping Historical New York (MHNY) team includes project leaders Wright Kennedy and Dan Miller, as well as co-principal investigators Rebecca Kobrin, Laura Kurgan, Leah Meisterlin, and Mae Ngai.
MHNY is a digital atlas that uses census data from 1850, 1880, and 1910 to show how Manhattan and Brooklyn transformed over the span of several decades. By illustrating the ways in which migration and occupational patterns shaped the neighborhoods in these boroughs, the MHNY project allows viewers to compare different communities across time. Data can be filtered by various categories, including race, gender, birthplace, and occupation to uncover trends and spatial patterns. In addition to presenting census data in an interactive format, the digital atlas features several case studies to tell a compelling story about New York’s history.