Wendy Brawer (Green Map) Interview 16/07/2010
Longest post ever. Here is my interview with Wendy Brawer. It has been taped, then mind mapped and I have now just finished writing it up.
I am continuing to work on this piece of writing, but highlighting areas of interest, and then sorting them into different areas of research.
My holiday to New York was a holiday but when I started researching my dissertation, I realised I could use my holiday as a research tool to conduct interviews with organisations I was interested in. I emailed eight different organisations. I heard back from most, and four agreed to meet up with my when I was in New York.
To prepare myself for the interviews, I researched into each organisation gaining more knowledge of what they do, and worked out questions relating to each different organisation. Luckily, Mike Press, a lecturer at Dundee University knew personally Wendy Brawer, the director of Green Map System who I was meeting with. He gave me questions directly relating to her that would help me with my research.
Wendy was my first interview I had when I arrived in New York. One of the parts I was looking forward to for each meeting was the different areas of New York City I would be going too. I had looked up where I was going and they were places I had never visited before on my last trip to New York. I was really interested in the different areas of the city.
Green Map’s offices were in Chelsea, what seemed like a quiet neighbourhood with plenty community gardens around. I walked past two; Sixth Street and Avenue B Community Garden, and Tompkins Sqaure Park.
 

As I walked into Wendy’s office. She was finishing an email to China, where she has been up during the night having a meeting with them about their hopes of Green Map coming to China.
My interview with Wendy was really motivating. She had a clear view of what she wanted to do to help New York City develop into a more green city. She first came up with the idea of a map showing sustainable sources in December of 1991. People from all over the world were coming to New York City for the Earth Summit. Wendy had to come up with an idea that essentially could be made in six weeks. She instantly felt it was a good idea to use a map as everybody can use it, and it is resource efficient highlighting areas of interest for a better environment.
There is now Green Map’s (http://www.greenmap.org/) all over the world, yet New York City’s green map has had the most success. There has now been 12 editions of the Green Apple Map, (http://www.greenapplemap.org/) including an energy map, a compost map, and youth group map. “New York City’s Green Apple Map is a model to other Green Map projects.” It helps them think about what type of model they need to create, and look into areas that people haven’t looked into before.
The success of Green Map came slowly. Wendy explained that maps are subtle tools. The success came slowly to Green Map, “but it has helped in more ways than one.” It has not only helped tourists, but New Yorkers themselves. It has helped different practitioners in the city and beyond the city in all different countries, allowing them to come together and work with different people and areas. It has allowed sites to get more credibility around New York by being featured in the Green Map.
As much as Green Map has accomplished, Wendy still has areas she wants to develop. She would love to do a massive edition of the Green Apple Map, showing everything they have ever covered. She wants the maps to be mailed to every house, so everyone will have access even if they do not have internet. This is one area she intends to fix. Some people who do not have access to a computer may be completely unaware of the Green Map System, as they do not have the resources to download the maps. One way Wendy would like to fix this is by making a marker system on the streets, so no map is needed. A person would walk past an area and there would be a sign indicating the area of interest, allowing everyone map or no map to see the work New York City is doing to evolve their city.
Wendy feels that by focussing on one small topic has lead them to “create a bigger impact on New York City.” The maps mark the progress the city has made map by map. She feels that maps help us view cities in a different way. When she first described her idea to people they immediately responded with “A map of NYC’s environment? There’s nothing of it.” That proved that she wanted to help people connect with the real environment, and give them a different perspective of it.
Mike Press had told me that Wendy is originally from Detroit, a city known to be struggling with it’s identity. Wendy explained there is a lot going on in Detroit now, and the city is “working hard to repair it’s image.” There has recently been a Green Map Detroit showing 1200 farms, and 30% empty land that can be used to help their city. Henry Ford’s old garage has been transformed into a green garage, (http://greengarage.typepad.com/) a collaboration lab that allows people to mix environmental sustainability ideas together. Wendy feels that Detroit is on the up. The one problem she has found it the “break between suburban and what is actually happening.” Her family still live in Detroit and have no idea anything at all is improving in their city. Wendy feels like their needs to be a bridge to connect together so that both can help each other out. Detroit needs to get it’s people involved in the projects. Community/education designers are now trying to rebuild civic identity, by involving the people that make the city. In Jersey City, Green Map started as a “community organising tool.” It helped create a vision so people can see the future. An idea like this could be used in Detroit to help everyone get involved.
There is always new people on the scene in this area of design Wendy told me. “It is such an interdisciplinary area. There are crossroads from people all around the world” New people bring in new ideas, new collaborations, which is what this area needs to develop.
When September 11th, 2001 happened, it affected everyone all over the world in many different ways. Wendy told me how it affected her personally, and Green Map in different ways. Wendy explained that it created questions in her mind, and she used Green Map to help. There was no funding for six months, which meant no new projects and a difficult time for organisations working in sustainability. Wendy felt it was the “perfect moment to stop and think what are we doing wrong with society?” The last Green Map that was published before 9/11 was the kids map in April 2001 on Lower Manhattan, and it soon became sold out. Everyone, especially New Yorker’s wanted to see they’re city still moving and working hard to get over the tragedy. Wendy says that people are still traumatised, people’s dreams disappeared in that instant. It still affects everyone every day.
The future is something everyone looks towards in a positive way, and Wendy is no exception. She has high hopes for Green Map. The main area they are focussing on is to create more services. Right now, Wendy is concentrating on the marker system I mentioned earlier. Advancing technology is helping this service develop. But as much as Wendy relies on technology, e.g. Emailing China her plans for the Green Map, “technology is so distracting.” It is a “great augment” but leaves a huge carbon footprint without us realising. With the marker system where technology is developing this idea, the outcome with require no technology at all, just eyes to notice the markers.
Identity within cities is an important role to be played. It defines a city, and it is important to keep control and redefine urban spaces. Wendy describes that there is still a lot of contested land around New York City, which means the community has to deal with push and pull, which in turn affects the community spirit. Everyone is looking for something that makes their hometown special, to make it stand out. Wendy admitted “New York City stands out itself” but it is the small changes in the city that makes the biggest impact. Green Map focuses on the small areas. Wendy explained she wants to “help people see things they normally wouldn’t.” Small areas such as compost areas, gardens, the list is endless. Areas that benefit the community without anyone realising.
The main advantages of having community involvement Wendy says, is “connecting green spaces together.” Wendy explained one of her favourite moments is when people meet and connect over their concern for New York’s green spaces. It lets people mix with people they would never have thought, and opens up doors for other creations.
It is not just New York City that has created this green model for the city. It is happening all over the place. Wendy stated “it’s all the ‘re’ words, reskilling, regeneration...don’t have to destroy in order to develop.” It is the future we are working towards.
In further research into cities, it is definitely what all the cities are working towards. London and Glasgow, the other two cities I am basing my research on are regenerating in different ways. London is rebranding for the 2012 Olympics, (http://www.london2012.com/) but it is not a simple new logo needing to be developed, the whole city is being regenerated. The area where the Olympics is being held, was picked to allow a regeneration in that area happen.
Glasgow is constantly updating it’s image with three different slogans in the last 10 years. The problem with Glasgow’s regeneration is they continue to focus on their city centre making it richer and richer and ignoring the people of Glasgow, the people that make the city. They are making the rich and poor divide expand.
I am also researching into a New Yorker’s image of the city and wanted to get Wendy’s opinions of the city. New York City has a strong identity, everyone has heard of it. It is the media capital of the US, which has helped the city become as famous as it is. The people are iconic, the buildings are iconic. Everything about New York City is different to other cities. “It stands out.”
Arts is a very important role in a city, but recently Mayor Bloomberg has cut the funding off from the arts to focus on other areas. Wendy joined a funding board called “ABC no Rio” (http://www.abcnorio.org/) and started raising money for arts. She felt New York’s development is more about “community engagement rather than a developers give away.” It is not just the financial market that rules development now. The city is changing times, and allowing for community development.
“A New Yorker will always be proud of their city no matter what,” states Wendy. She is proud of the fact that it is “closer to the image of the green apple” she has been working towards for the past ten years. She is also proud that the city is still standing, with the amount the small island has gone through, the city has been through some rough patches.
Wendy also feels that the city allows everyone to be inspired in some way. She is inspired by the changes New York has been taking in order to become a more sustainable city. “The change of the definition of Manhattanization.” New York City is now not just known for it’s skyscraper buildings, it become known for it’s green spaces and communities. New York City has a power over other cities, it is a model that other cities want to conform too. Wendy feels that if New York City improves it’s green services, places all over the world will base on this model. New York City is inspiring other cities by changing it’s ways. “It is great to be from here,” Wendy explains to me, “You get a lot of respect.”
The one dream Wendy has, that she knows is far out is her dream of clean air. Reducing traffic, which is one of Wendy’s parts of New York City she would like to change. New York is in the top five of easiest places to walk. People need to walk more. It can be done. She also wants to make sustainability more easier for people to take action. Right now, you have to go out of your way to be sustainable or to find out more. She feels the education system needs changed, and universities made cheaper. These are our “future leaders in schools” right now, they need the right education.
In conclusion, the interview with Wendy showed how much New York City is working towards a sustainable future. People like Wendy, are improving the city in more ways than one. “Small change, makes a big impact.” The Green Apple Map proves this. A simple map that highlights areas of interest has helped the city come back from 9/11, and helping the city make progress.
It has allowed people to co design with each other from all over the world, but it has also connected people in communities in New York City together.
The improvements in the city can now be noticed with other cities following suit and becoming more sustainable and using new ways of doing this.
The success of Green Apple Map will continue for a long time, helping people create a better life for themselves and the city they chose to live in.