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Research prototype · 2025
Common Ground
A visual notebook for comparing how cities describe shared challenges.
- Disciplines
- Data storytelling, Editorial design, Civic technology
- Topics
- Public systems
Reading between city plans
Cities often face similar pressures—housing, mobility, climate, public space—while describing them in very different language.
Common Ground is a research prototype that places excerpts from public plans side by side. It highlights recurring terms, competing definitions, and the distance between a stated goal and a measurable commitment.
A tool for better questions
The prototype does not rank cities or automate judgment. It helps a reader notice patterns, return to original sources, and ask where language clarifies a decision or avoids one.