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Article published In: Information Design Journal
Vol. 30:2 (2025) ► pp.–

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Visualizing the interplay between social and built space

A feminist-critical approach to interactive map design

ORCiD logo with link | Bern University of Applied Sciences
Published online: 20 March 2026
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.25003.fel
Abstract
Interactive maps play a key role in generating and mediating research knowledge in human-centered urban planning, yet their design principles remain underexplored. This paper draws on feminist geography, cultural studies, and information visualization to inform the design of interactive maps. It argues that interactive maps can reveal the interplay between social and built spaces by enabling comparisons across different time periods and infrastructural conditions. Using visualizations from MIT’s Senseable City Lab, it shows how interactive exploration enables users to engage in visual argumentation, while emphasizing multiple perspectives and uses to allow for more inclusive representations of urban life and its social complexities.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Theoretical foundation: Human geography and cultural studies
    • 2.1Space as a social and cultural construct
    • 2.2Gender geographies: Gender and space as social structures
    • 2.3Time geography and time distance maps
      • 2.3.1Two examples of time distance maps by Kohei Sugiura and the HCLAB
    • 2.4Summary
  • 3.Theoretical foundation: Visualizing information
    • 3.1Social aspects of data visualizations
    • 3.2The principles of representation according to Bertin
    • 3.3Fixed communication maps and variable exploratory maps
    • 3.4Summary
  • 4.Rethinking mapping practices: Case studies from the MIT Senseable City Lab
    • 4.1Desirable streets
    • 4.2Stockholm Covid-19 and Sonic Cities
  • 5.Final notes
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
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