THE CARTOGRAPHIES OF NEW YORK
Every act of mapping is an act of understanding. Cartographies of New York gathers the city’s form as both geography and imagination — a portrait drawn in lines, borders, and waterways. These maps are not mere diagrams; they are interpretations of space, attempts to make visible the patterns beneath the metropolis.
Each outline, each division of borough and neighborhood, becomes a study in identity. From the precision of Manhattan’s grid to the meandering coastlines of Staten Island and Queens, the maps trace how history, culture, and topography converge to define the living city.
Here, cartography becomes a language of memory — a way of seeing New York not from above, but from within. The maps serve as both archive and art, connecting the physical truth of place to the emotional architecture that photography alone cannot hold. In tracing the city, they remind us that every map is also a self-portrait of the one who draws it.
The Maps:
Manhattan Neighborhood Maps
Brooklyn Neighborhood Maps
Queens Neighborhood Maps
The Bronx Neighborhood Maps
Staten Island Neighborhood Maps
CityChroniclesNYC
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The Streets
The streets of New York form the living framework of the city — a network of energy and intention carved through centuries of movement. They are the city’s arteries, drawing millions through their corridors each day; a language of pavement and pattern that speaks of order and chaos in equal measure.
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The Landmarks
The landmarks of New York are its great signatures — the visible testament to ambition and endurance written across stone, steel, and sky. From the Statue of Liberty’s raised torch to the Gothic crown of the Woolworth Building, from Grand Central’s constellations to the towering planes of the Empire State, each landmark embodies a chapter of the city’s identity.
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The Exhibitions
Few cities have turned creativity into civic identity quite like New York. From the marble halls of The Met and the Cloisters to the experimental pavilions of MoMA PS1, from the sculptural quiet of Little Island to the open canvases of its murals and parks, the city exists as a gallery in perpetual renewal.
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The Visions
There are as many New Yorks as there are moments of light. Seen through rain or reflection, in twilight haze or midnight flare, the city remakes itself in every frame. Visions of New York captures those transformations — the fleeting alignments of architecture, weather, and mood that define how the city feels.
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The Explorations
Every photograph begins with a walk — and every walk through New York is a journey through both city and self. Explorations of New York is the ongoing record of those days: a chronicle of routes taken, bridges crossed, seasons observed, and stories found at street level.
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The Cartographies
Every act of mapping is an act of understanding. Cartographies of New York gathers the city’s form as both geography and imagination — a portrait drawn in lines, borders, and waterways. These maps are not mere diagrams; they are interpretations of space, attempts to make visible the patterns beneath the metropolis.
New York City
Use this custom Google map to explore where every neighborhood in all five boroughs of New York City is located.
The Five Boroughs
One of New York City’s unique qualities is its organization in to 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island. These boroughs are part pragmatic administrative districts, and part vestiges of the region’s past. Each borough is an entire county in New York State - in fact, Brooklyn is, officially, Kings County, while Staten Island is, officially Richmond County. But that’s not the whole story …
Initially, New York City was located on the southern tip of Manhattan (now the Financial District) that was once the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Across the East River, another city was rising: Brooklyn. In time, the city planners realized that unification between the rapidly rising cities would create commercial and industrial opportunities - through streamlined administration of the region.
So powerful was the pull of unification between New York and Brooklyn that three more counties were pulled into the unification: The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. And on January 1, 1898, the City of New York unified two cities and three counties into one Greater City of New York - containing the five boroughs we know today.
But because each borough developed differently and distinctly until unification, their neighborhoods likewise uniquely developed. Today, there are nearly 390 neighborhoods, each with their own histories, cultures, cuisines, and personalities - and each with residents who are fiercely proud of their corner of The Big Apple.
