A group of researchers wanted to access the truth of what people value and remember most about St. Louis, without assuming publicly acknowledged symbols of the city like the World’s Fair Pavilion, or the historic district, or even the city’s famous Gateway Arch mean anything to them. So they began by letting residents decide what’s on the map.
“In my design studies, I think about what you would call the vernacular architecture vernacular space,” says Allison Nkwocha, a graduate researcher with the public art-focused Monument Lab. “Monuments are often so grand and specific. They’re ‘heroes.’ They don’t really have that much to do with everyday people.”