Mapping

Mapping has evolved beyond navigation into a method for interpreting spatial, ephemeral, and sociopolitical dimensions of contemporary life. This volume explores how cartographic practices are being reimagined across disciplines to understand and reconfigure urban space.

The essays examine mapping as both representational and generative, spanning participatory mapping in informal settlements, film-based documentation of marginalized geographies, embodied cartographies, and data-driven analysis. Organized into five sections—Representation, Critical Cartographies, Mapping Belonging, Performative Cartographies, and Data Mapping—the collection highlights methodological and layered dimensions of contemporary mapping. By interrogating traditional cartography, the book emphasizes maps' role in constructing social realities and navigating contested urban terrains. Contributors demonstrate mapping as an engagement practice that reveals hidden geographies, amplifies marginal voices, and reimagines spaces.

This volume challenges readers to reconsider mapping as an interdisciplinary practice and mode of inquiry that can transform our understanding of complex environments and social dynamics. It will be of interest to researchers and students of urban design, architecture, planning, human geography, politics, and sociology.