Ryan Halvorson

Ryan Halvorson

My map of Cambridge expectedly captures the area from my unique point of view—specifically from that of a senior undergraduate football playing engineer who lives in a river house. Each of these qualities biases my perception and recall of my surroundings. The areas in my map with the most accurate detail are those that I visit most frequently: the paths between Mather and the science buildings, the athletic complex in Allston, the buildings around the yard (freshman dorms, Sever, etc.), and the various eating establishments and landmarks that I frequent along the river (area by Felipe’s and Chipotle, Hair Cuttery, etc.). On the contrary, the areas with the least amount of detail are those that I rarely interact with: various roads are missing or inaccurate (I have never driven a car in Cambridge), the land between the Yard and the Quad is almost entirely unknown, many non-university associated buildings were hazy, and many of the graduate school buildings are misplaced or absent.

In general, my map features many block shapes and straight lines—quite the opposite of many parts of Cambridge in reality. I think this phenomenon can be explained by how I think about and use most parts of the city. Probably 80% of my time at Harvard has been spent in the same 20% of buildings. On the other hand, I have visited the other 80% of buildings on the map 1 time or fewer. Instead, I walk past them on my way to other things. In writing the map, I thought about these experiences, noting what landmarks and buildings I pass heading from one space to another.