About This Map

What makes a place? Is it the physical landscape? The history? The people? The unique features, amenities, and shared knowledge among its residents? Yes. All of this... and beyond.

The Worthington Mapping Project is an initiative to plot the features that make Worthington its own “place.” While a few of the entities on this map appear on other web-based mapping systems (e.g. bike paths, food and drink establishments), several will not. The features on this map reflect how we collectively use our shared space as Worthingtonites! In short, while most maps are prepared for those who live outside of a community, this map is the insider’s map.

Who’s Behind this Project?

My name is Phil Birnie. I grew up in Worthington. After moving away for several years, I once again reside and co-own a custom web design/development studio downtown next to the Village Green. In 2021, I challenged myself to run every day of the year. As a result of this challenge, I discovered many new fantastic landmarks, trails, and hidden gems! It made me realize the wealth of things around us and I thought it would be of great use to the community to create a living map of these features.

Can I contribute?

Absolutely! Again reflecting on what makes a “place,” everyone’s viewpoint, where we live, and how we interact with the space around us are totally different. I have added most of the points on this map thus far, but I hope others will contribute. I plan to create functionality where one can draw features on a map and add them directly, but for now, send me your thoughts and points to [email protected].

What kind of features can I add?

Take a look at the categories in the filters tab for guidance. For the most part, any feature can be added with a few notes:

• Minutiae Encouraged: It’s often the little things that make a place unique. Don’t be afraid to mark something that may seem insignificant (a water fountain, a pretty natural feature, a hidden walking path).
• Retail/Service Businesses: There are plenty of maps out there to locate businesses: Yelp, Google, Chamber of Commerce maps to name a few. Unless the establishment primarily serves food or drink, it won't be on the base layer. That said, I will likely be adding a layer that caters specifically to businesses. Let us know if you’d like for your us to add your business.
• Private Property: It is okay to add, for example, a sculpture or something readily visible from the street or a public space. If a house is a historical landmark, it should also be marked.

Coming Features

This map launched in April 2022 and is still in active development (alpha version!).
Here are some planned features; if you have other ideas, I certainly welcome them.

• Interactive form to submit additional points
• Event-based points (e.g. Concerts on the Green, Farmers Market, etc.)
• Show n closest features to your location
• Amend or dispute information at a particular point
• Refined Design