A city’s shapes are invisible from the vantage point of the ground. Airplanes, high-rise views, and catching glimpses down wide avenues while crossing a street provide reminders of the scale and striking organization of the urban fabric we traverse but for the most part never visualize. These maps celebrate the incredible shapes we live within: the city block.
These maps from French artist Armelle Caron dissect the city into its smallest units and present them for comparison and admiration. They are even classified by shape type: an insect pinning of the city. Check out Caron’s maps of other cities and other art at his website.
Abstraction of New York City’s smallest units by Armelle Caron
This map below by artist, Jazzberry Blue is an abstracted close-up of the bottom of Manhattan and part of North Brooklyn. The artist’s use of color accentuates the beauty of the unappreciated grid. The choice of frame highlights some of the interesting irregularities in the grid along the waterfronts. Scroll below for more cities like Paris, London, New Delhi and Jerusalem and visit the artist’s website for more works.
