And what already exists is more than just the physical attributes of terrain…but includes also the various hidden forces that underlie the workings of a given place. These include natural processes. such as wind and sun; historical events and local stories; economic and legislative conditions; even political interests, regulatory mechanisms and programmatic structures. Through rendering visible multiple and sometimes disparate field conditions, mapping allows for an understanding of terrain as only the surface expression of a complex and dynamic imbroglio of social and natural processes. In visualizing these interrelationships and interactions, mapping itself participates in future unfoldings.

“the agency of mapping” james corner in mapping