Culture
How Many Neighborhoods Is Too Many for One Map?
The lead cartographer for Mapbox answers the technological and philosophical questions of which ‘hoods make it onto a map.
Washington, D.C., has got too many neighborhoods. The city’s Office of Planning recognizes 131 distinct neighborhoods and even acknowledges that the list is, at best, incomplete. Residents of the District love nothing more than arguing over where Eckington ends and Bloomingdale begins (or LeDroit Park or Truxton Circle or Shaw, for that matter).
Wouldn’t you rather live in Boston? By the city’s own count, Boston boasts around two dozen neighborhoods. Sounds cozy. Some of them don’t bear especially accurate names: West Roxbury isn’t adjacent to Roxbury, and Mid Dorchester is north of regular Dorchester. But no matter. (For the record, I would not rather live in Boston, thank you.)