The three geographers behind the Floating Sheep blog have created a world map of Internet references to zombies.
Mark Graham, Taylor Shelton, and Matthew Zook queried Google’s geo-tagged information for zombie-related keywords, including references to Halloween events, Halloween costumes, and purported zombie sightings.
New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London have the largest number of references. Non-English speaking locales may have slipped through the cracks, since the researchers conducted the search in English. Graham, Shelton, and Zook went on to map preferred zombie-killing weapons by regions.
“This whole exercise is meant to make a broader point about the utility and limitations of the geoweb,” Emily Badger writes. Some of the information uncovered by the geographers seems to hold real meaning. But their project also made clear the unreliability of Internet evidence. “[Y]ou probably wouldn’t want to rely on these maps alone to prepare for the zombie apocalypse,” Badger concludes.
FULL STORY: Where We're Obsessed With Zombies
Friday Eye Candy: Maps Reveal Differences in How Locals and Tourists See the City
The cities that visitors see will always be different than the city that locals see. A new mapping project reveals the distinctions between the local perspective and the tourist perspective for 136 cities around the globe.
Maps: How Much of Your City is Parking?
The percentage of land dedicated to parking in the central districts of major U.S. cities ranges from 4 percent to as much as 42 percent.
Mapping Climate Impact at the Neighborhood Level
A consumption-based analysis illustrates the differences in average household emissions across census tracts.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
A Lone Voice for Climate: How The Wild Robot Stands Apart in Hollywood
Among this year’s Oscar-nominated films, only The Wild Robot passed the Climate Reality Check, a test measuring climate change representation in storytelling, highlighting the ongoing lack of climate awareness in mainstream Hollywood films.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research