A guerrilla project in Paris saw a feminist group change various street names of men to famous women, like singer Nina Simone or sailor Florence Arthaud. This encouraged Runa Sankaranarayanan and her colleagues at Mapbox to create an analysis of 'Mapping Female versus Male Street Names,' in seven major cities.
The resulting interactive map chart showed that there are far more streets named after men that are in centrally located parts of cities. The program also displayed the data visually, with streets named after men in blue, and women in red. Although many people may see the project as insignificant, street names play a large role in retelling the history of a city and its values in the past.
The project wants to shed light on the gender imbalances in the world, most of which we don't even notice.
Gender Imbalance Maps
This Map Shows the Gender Imbalance of Male and Female Street Names
Trend Themes
1. Gender-inclusive Street Names - Re-evaluating and renaming streets in major cities to include more women could lead to a more gender-inclusive urban environment.
2. Feminist Mapping Projects - Incorporating feminist perspectives into mapping projects could reveal hidden gender disparities and lead to more equitable urban planning.
3. Visualizing Gender Imbalances - Using data visualization tools to depict gender disparities in urban environments can raise awareness and spark necessary changes.
Industry Implications
1. Urban Planning - Adopting gender-inclusive approaches to urban planning could transform the way cities are constructed and experienced.
2. Data Visualization - Incorporating data visualization tools into feminist mapping projects could help researchers better understand gender disparities and communicate findings effectively.
3. Feminist Activism - Feminist groups can use mapping projects and data visualization tools to draw attention to issues of gender inequality and advocate for change.