What is the Mapa de Costas?
The map is an interactive tool to promote active participation from all sectors of the population that are affected by the crisis along our coasts.
The Mapa de Costas is part of a campaign called Crisis on our Coasts that we have developed along the past two years with the objective to better visualize this crisis, privatization and the displacement within beaches and the coast of this country.
Timeline of the Mapa de Costas
1. Launch
On March 20, 2023 we publicly launched the digital tool for the collection of environmental problems in the coastal area.
2. Gathering
We spent a month inviting people to submit their complaints which resulted in 231 reports.
3. Validation & Analysis
For three months field trips were made to verify the information and an analysis of the data was made. In addition, we wanted to focus on making people’s voices visible and this resulted in a narrative report.
4. Results
With the 231 reports, a map was co-created to demonstrate the environmental problems and toxic development that occurs in Puerto Rico. You can view the entire results report and download it here.
Results
To present the results we made another version of the Mapa de Costas where we represented the 231 complaints with different symbols. A total of 6 layers of data were summarized at the end. Changes were also identified in 65 of the complaints received.
Construction
67
Sale
22
Removal of vegetation or land
33
Closing or blocking of access
38
Official government agency signs or posters
16
Abandoned Structures
55
The voices of the people of Puerto Rico.
As part of the results we created a content analysis of what people wrote in their complaints. Along with Agitarte and Estefanía Rivera Cortés were created arts that represented that analysis.
