Subtraction Architecture

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One method that we will be exploring in this project is the use of Google Street View to track changes in the built environment.  Inspired by the photography of Camillo José Vergara, serial images can bring important patterns and shifts to light that otherwise flow below the radar of anyone who doesn't live on the block.

 

In tracking changes, we are particularly interested in the most granular level, down to the specific parcel geographies, their spatial configuration and content, their utility bundles, and their architectural compliment (know as "improvements" in real estate law).  This scraping away of architecture comprises one of the hallmarks of disinvestment under the sign of racial capitalism in U.S. postindustrial cities.

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You can read more about our approach to architectural subtraction in the Field Notes section.  Check it out.

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2200 Block of North Tenth Street

Philadelphia, PA

2009 - 2022

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39.986253, -75.149126