A place is made by its people-culture-rhythm-stories-sounds-art & craft-smell-chaos & many more. The Participatory Geo Spatial Lab (PGSL) is being envisioned as a space that can contribute knowledge through maps, tools and spatial narratives that are collaboratively made to aid learning, adaptation and advocacy happening in these places of work. It is a shared infrastructure across our regions to digitally and physically represent these voices, histories, cultures and imaginaries of all the people in a place-based manner.
This is crucial infrastructure because only the state currently carries the power to make maps of what a place means. Only their maps carry the weight necessary to create action. How then do we disrupt this relationship? Do we create tools that allow people to make maps in their own ways, languages and forms? Do we make reading government-made maps easier? Do we ensure the data used to make government maps is open and accessible to all?