Map 37

Click here for a full-size version of this week’s map.

This map is the second map in a five-week series. During this series, we will keep track of both the usual week-to-week scores and your cumulative score over the five-week period.

This map is a dot map of a major world city. (Do you need a refresher on what a dot map is? Visit our “Basics” page for a quick primer.) Your job is to figure out what this dot map represents.

Stumped? Check back Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for hints about where to focus your investigation. The answer will be posted on Monday, May 8. Good luck!

Tuesday’s clarification: When we posted the map yesterday, we mentioned that there should probably be a few more dots in the southern part of the map. One of our submitters managed to find the rest of the data, so there is now a new version of the map that adds nine additional dots.

Tuesday’s hint: First, let’s get acquainted with this map. “Up” on the map is north. There’s lots of water on the map. The water to the north is a lake, and the water on the south side is a river. The waterway indenting the city in the west is a natural stream that has been straightened and controled by human activity. The waterway in the east is a manmade canal; there is a lock where you see that canal narrow in the southern part by the river. In the north, there’s one dot that’s out in the lake. Some of you, apparently not very trusting of our cartographic accuracy, have written in to inquire whether that dot was misplaced. No, it was placed correctly. By itself, that dot can tell you a lot about what this map is not: for example, it can’t be about buildings or any permanent structures or anything about where people live. If you went to that spot today, you would just see water.

Wednesday’s hint: The city depicted in this map is New Orleans. A good strategy for investigating this map would be to learn about the different neighborhoods of New Orleans. The city is divided into 17 “wards,” which vary considerably in size. Which wards have the highest concentrations of dots? Why?

Thursday’s hint: The densest concentration of dots is in the neighborhood generally known as the Lower Ninth Ward. (In this context, “lower” means that it is downriver of the rest of the Ninth Ward.) This area is one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city of New Orleans. In the past decade, it has become known for having a lot of vacant, overgrown lots. Can you figure out why?

Friday’s hint: The data used to make this map were originally collected in 2005.

Answer: Click here to see an explanation of the answer to this week’s map question.

Next map: Click here to try out our newest map question.