Fall 2020
NJIT MIP 652
Wednesdays 6-8:50pm
Instructor: Dare Brawley
dare.a.brawley@njit.edu | @darebrawley
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to geographic information systems (GIS) and to the use of spatial methods for analyzing and designing urban spaces.
Maps and geographic analysis are key tools for interpreting the built environment and the social conditions it contains. GIS methods allow for the analysis of geographic features together with attributes (environmental, social, demographic, political) of those places.
The thoughtful use of spatial data can reveal previously unseen patterns, changing the way we see our world. Map-based approaches can transform the understanding of initial site conditions. However maps are never just representations, they are nearly always active agents in shaping the worlds they describe. Geographic analysis can define the baseline of what is considered or excluded – and when used by urban planners and designers, what is possible and what is not possible.
This course engages with this agency of maps directly in hands-on workshops covering the technical skills required to use maps as both tools for research and design-based interventions. Likewise the course will focus throughout on fostering a deep understanding of the promises, as well as the limitations of GIS-based methods.
Syllabus
Mapping Assignments
Map example presentations
Assignment 00: download QGIS
Assignment 01: Mapping where things are
Assignment 02a: Mapping Values and Categories
Assignment 02b: Mapping Values and Categories with Rasters
Assignment 03: Mapping Overlaps Intersections and Paths
Assignment 04: Mapping Proximity and Concentration Due 11/4
Final Project
General Description & Topic Proposal Detailed Assignment
Examples/Precedents