PhilaPlace is a historical website created by the Historical Society of Philadelphia. Using a Google Map interface, visitors can explore an interactive map of Philadelphia through photos, sounds, and text. Clicking on one location brings a pop up with an option to listen to the people that make up the city.

Much like any city, Philadelphia has a wealth of history. PhilaPlace is both engaging and informative, allowing for people of and outside of the city to explore its richness. The site not only allows one to see historical places, but also allows for a historical map to be placed underneath the current map of the city.

In our previous in-class discussions of what individuals are gaining or loosing with the internet, individuals aren’t loosing anything from sites like PhilaPlace. Instead, they are gaining new knowledge. Making these stories of individuals at historical places available, makes individuals want to go see them. This only enhances the city, not hurt it. In a similar case, has Foodnetwork’s shows about local eats hurt those places? No. It’s enhanced them.

In fact, I would argue that many cities should take advantage of the tools that are available to them. Fairfax County, where George Mason University is located, should have something similar to PhilaPlace. What PhilaPlace offers is a way for individuals to connect to the maps and the history around them. So often when individuals look at maps they don’t know how to understand them or know where they fit in. PhilaPlace allows for individuals to be connected to the history of the maps that they are viewing.

I want to be a reporter for National Public Radio. Therefore, the sounds of the city and individuals’ stories are what I find compelling. Using both visual and auditory senses to put people into certain places are what I find most appealing about this project. The project also doesn’t just allow for outsiders to view a city, but for individuals of a city to see their own city in a different light. They are also able to share their own stories about their city, allowing for a collaborative process to occur that is only made available because of the internet.

I am interested if other cities have thought of undertaking such an expansive project.