Planners often focus too much on how something will look, without taking the question “What will it look like” seriously enough. Meanwhile, far too many architects are ready to fill the void with a few pretty pictures, without any serious thought about how the proposal will really work in the whole.

Based on recent experience, though, I think a grain of salt is in order. I put together a presentation with Friends of the Oval to talk about the need for pedestrian improvements around one of the entrances. As a typical planner, I put a map up front to situate the location. “I can’t picture it.” “I need a picture!” The other members of the group quickly convinced me that I needed something more concrete than a map, so we opened with a photo.

Later the same month, I was at a meeting of CB7’s Traffic and Transportation Committee. I wanted to talk about the signal timing at an intersection, and so the District Manager pulled up Google Maps. But instead of using the map, they went straight to the Street View!

So… maps are good. But when dealing with disadvantaged communities, planners should be careful to recognize that something that seems so natural for them can be more abstract and alienating for their audience.