Gowanus, a Brooklyn neighborhood, has undergone massive changes due to the approval of the neighborhood’s rezoning in November 2021. Over those two years, many buildings have been demolished, and numerous pits have been excavated to make way for new residential structures. The neighborhood has become unrecognizable. The future landscape of Gowanus serves as just one example of the aftermath that more neighborhoods in Brooklyn are currently or likely to be facing soon.
Public policy is often challenging to decipher and remains hidden from the people it impacts most. "Rezoning: At What Cost?" transforms previously incomprehensible data into physical form while also providing necessary spatial context to truly understand the data’s implications.Users can explore and learn about the data themselves, coming to their own understanding about what it all means. By inviting users to engage with a physical representation of the data, "Rezoning: At What Cost?" begins to rebuild a connection between people and policy.
The map of Gowanus presents a future snapshot with all residential buildings currently permitted for construction since the rezoning. Each residential building consists of colored acrylic floors depicting percentages of market-rate and affordable housing, forming stacked bar charts scaled to the height of each building. Users can tangibly interact with the data by removing floors from buildings and rearranging them for their own personal exploration. Additional contextual information can be found in an accompanying zine, which also serves as a worksheet to help users discover how they may or may not fit within the NYC affordable housing system. Lastly, users are encouraged to fill out reflective question cards about their experience and their thoughts on the future of rezoning and affordable housing. The cards are collectively displayed as a grid behind the map.
This piece was created as part of NYC’s Open Data Week 2024 for Data Through Design’s exhibition Aftermath. It visualizes NYC Open Data from the Department of City Planning and the Housing and Preservation Department.
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Tatiana Lahera Kalainoff is a multidisciplinary mixed raced designer and data visualization artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She holds degrees in architecture and data visualization and believes information is power, but has little to no value without context and a compelling story. In her work, she investigates the intersection of data, design, technology, and storytelling, with a focus on ensuring equitable access to information and providing opportunities for underrepresented voices to be heard.
Instagram: @tatianalaherakalainoff
Website: tatianalkalainoff.com