onionbagblog

Locality

“There is something wonderfully organic about a map of a city that is made up of circles, ovals and other assorted lozenge shapes, instead of the normal straight lines and distinct corners of network or boundary maps.”

Ovals.

Especially those of the Transpontine variety.

And so another day, another London map to explore. Adam Towle’s ACE experiment in mapping London’s localities is worthy of a longer look, if only for the imagined beauty of breaking down the capital into hyperlocal fiefdoms.

No complaints coming from me.

It is only when you zoom in on your particular patch that you start to ask questions of self-identity. How hyper is hyperlocal?

Transpontine? Brixton and the surrounds? Sunny Stockwell? SW8 Sandinista? Um, South Lambeth Road Punk Rock Warlord?

For the record I seem to have one foot in South Lambeth, and one spanning The Oval - which back in the real world holds some substance.

The fluidity of the neighborhoods come alive in Adam’s map. Anyone who tells you that London is comprised of a series of urban villages is probably an estate agent. The geographical curves combined with the gorgeous colour scheme, is the closest representation I’ve seen to explain the village localities of London.

The glorious isolatinism of Loughborough Junction deserves further topological investigation…

via @mattfromlondon

Lunch and Learn

ACE luncheon events taking place at Shoreditch *ahem* Village Hall over the coming weeks. Find out about @futuregov, How to Paint London and Startups Are a Series of Fuckups.

Quite.

via @futuregov.

Meanwhile, over at SxSW 2014:

Ask a Silly Question

Democracy Took Over My Government, Now What?

How Do We Save Our Digital Lives?

Is Facebook Making Houses of Worship Go Extinct?

Pray not, etc.