Makāna

Mapping is a practice embedded in politics and power hierarchies, and maps as tools are a widely recognized but often disputed form of communication. Historically, governmental bodies, corporations, and other influential entities have utilized maps as instruments of control and dominance, often at the expense of marginalized communities whose needs are disregarded, and rights denied. Countering the top-down mapping practices that dominate the field, the project proposes that mapping can be repurposed to serve social justice objectives. It plans to create a collaborative counter-mapping of the city of Amman, Jordan, highlighting grassroots initiatives and community-led practices that have produced more just, livable, and inclusive places in the city. These initiatives stand in contrast to spaces in the city that are marked by socio-economic segregation, which has been exacerbated by neoliberal planning policies over the last two decades. The project adopts a participatory approach to various forms of knowledge creation and uses qualitative methods and in-person activities with all those involved, including one-to-one interviews, walk-along interviews, storytelling, photography, and interactive mapping workshops. These will be represented in a digital counter-map, a provocative narrative device that links these various elements together and tells an alternative history of placemaking in the city, as well as an accompanying publication.