I had the amazing opportunity to turn my maps from DETROITography into a book with Belt Publishing!
“Each map is interesting on its own, but taken together – despite the title, there are far more than 50 – they offer a lively cultural snapshot of the Motor City.”
– Tina Jordan, Deputy Editor, New York Times Book Review
“Detroit in 50 Maps offers a little something for everyone–whether you are a Detroiter, a fan of the Motor City, or a map lover.”
– Mary Aviles, Nightingale, Data Visualization Society
“Alex Hill is a cartographer-activist. His maps unlock a recognition of the geography of more than just a city, but a people whose city shapes so much of their lives. Beyond a book of maps, this is a book of history, sociology, culture, public policy, and anthropology.”
– Abdul El-Sayed (CNN commentator, former Director of Detroit Health Department, past candidate for Governor of Michigan)
Date
2021
Client
Belt Publishing
Events
Grosse Pointe Public Library, November 1, 2022
Troy Public Library, July 19, 2022 (in-person)
Detroit Public Library, Author Series, July 13, 2022 (virtual)
Novi Library, Kaleidoscope Speaker Series, May 18, 2022 (in-person)
DONCast, Department of Neighborhoods, City of Detroit, April 25, 2022 (virtual)
James Madison College, Michigan State University, April 11, 2022 (virtual)
Clark Library, University of Michigan, March 31, 2022 (in-person/virtual)
Leventhal Map and Education Center, Boston Public Library, March 9, 2022 (virtual)
WSU Alumni Association Book Club, February 24, 2022 (virtual)
University of Michigan-Flint, Office of Research, February 4, 2022 (virtual)
Book Suey, December 1, 2021 (in-person)
Pages Bookshop, November 17, 2021 (in-person)
Media
Interviews
Audio Authentically Detroit, October 2022
Audio WDET, CultureShift, November 2021
Audio The D Brief, What Unconventional Maps Can Tell Us About the History of Detroit, September 2021
Audio Daily Detroit, Telling Detroit’s story with maps (ft. Alex B. Hill), August 2021
Article Wayne Magazine, Mapping the Motor City, Spring/Summer 2021
Reviews
Article Nightingale, Data Visualization Society, January 2022
Article New York Times, ‘You Are Here’: Mapping Climate Change, Make Believe, and Murder, December 2021
Article HOUR Detroit, A New Way to Look at Detroit, November 2021
Article Outlier Media, New coffee-table style book reveals Detroit inequities – in maps, October 2021
Other
Article 2022 Holiday Gift Guide, SEEN Magazine, November 2022
Article Deadline Detroit, Pheasant habitats, racial divides, and more: New books’ 50 Detroit maps stretch far past the ordinary, October 2021
Exhibitions
2023 UM Detroit Center, Detroit in 5 Maps (solo exhibit)
2022 Fisher Building, Detroit in 5 Maps (solo exhibit)
2022 UM Clark Library, Map ≠ Territory: Distortion and Power in Cartography
Publications
Books
2021 Detroit in 50 Maps, Belt Publishing
Alex B. Hill 