PLP Maps Life Under Lockdown

It’s been a strange year, to say the least. The PLP team has been incredibly lucky to be able to continue our work (with the occasional Google hangouts glitch) from a series of home offices in Pittsburgh, and beyond.

To fully embrace our current work-from-home existence, we welcomed our first ever round of remote interns. Though we miss the collaborative nature of our office, it is such a privilege to be working with students currently based in New York, Oregon, and Montreal. Learn more about them here.

As an exercise in getting to know each other a little better, as a team we participated in CityLab’s call to create homemade maps of life during the coronavirus pandemic. This activity proved to be a fantastic way to get a glimpse into the unique microcosms we occupy during this bizarre time, shown through the incredibly inspiring and eclectic range of responses and media.

"My new normal became my desk, where all my daily tasks, activities, and time conflated." —Linsen Chai

“Despite being stuck in my house, my life has continued in many different places represented by each card. My home is in Oregon, I’m interning in New York and Pittsburgh, and I spend most of my time lost in books.” —Jennifer Gray

“There’s a lot of natural beauty on my little street. My new morning commute (a walk around the block) is how I start the day and appreciate the environments, smells and beauty right outside my door. ” — Ilana Curtis

“A neighborhood looks different when you can’t leave. We’ve been going for daily walks, taking time to appreciate the details we’d previously overlooked: a pet pig, a backyard full of junk, a Virgin Mary statue decorated with Mardi Gras beads.” —Candace Jane Opper

“I wanted to create a map of the mental states I inhabit during the time of quarantine. Instead of plotting out the physical locations I travel to, I wanted to map out the passing of time in relation to the mental spaces I occupy.” —Mimi Jiao