The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power

Addressing the Unaddressed is a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Kolkata dedicated to providing a unique postal address to people living in unplanned settlements such as shantytowns, slums, townships, rural villages, and campgrounds. Chapter 1, “Kolkata,” features Subhashis Nath, a project manager for Addressing the Unaddressed.

Providing addresses to formerly unaddressed people enables them to access healthcare, educational and job opportunities, and many other social services. Addressing the Unaddressed uses the Open Location Code, developed by Google, to create unique location codes for unaddressed dwellings in unplanned settlements. Since these location codes (called “plus codes”) are derived from latitude and longitude coordinates, all the organization has to do is identify each dwelling’s coordinates and provide the resident with a unique code to hang at the entrance. These codes can then be used to receive mail and access social services.

The organization is currently based in India, but plans to expand to address unplanned settlements around the world. The organization estimates that, by 2060, up to 50% of the world’s population could be living in unplanned settlements. Their goal is to provide formal addresses to as many dwellings as possible using plus codes.

Kevin Lynch (1918-1984) was a renowned American urban planner and author whose work significantly influenced the field of urban design. He was known for his groundbreaking research on how individuals perceive and navigate cities, and his concepts continue to shape modern urban planning practices.

Lynch’s most notable contribution to the field was his book The Image of the City, published in 1960. In this influential work, he introduced the idea of mental mapping, emphasizing the significance of individuals’ cognitive perceptions and experiences of urban environments. Lynch argued that people create mental images of cities based on their personal encounters and use these mental maps to navigate and understand urban spaces. His research revealed that these mental maps are composed of five key elements: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks. He highlighted the importance of designing cities in a way that enhances these elements to create legible and memorable urban environments.

In The Address Book, Mask uses Lynch’s arguments about mind maps in Chapter 3, “Rome,” to explain how ancient Romans navigated the city before the advent of formal street addresses. Mask suggests that ancient Romans understood the connection between memory and space, and that their rhetoric reflects Lynch’s idea of mental mapping.

Rowland Hill (1795-1879) was a prominent British social reformer and the driving force behind the modernization of the postal system in the United Kingdom. His contributions to postal reform earned him widespread recognition and acclaim.

Hill’s most groundbreaking achievement was the introduction of the Penny Post in 1840. At the time, postal rates in the UK were based on the distance traveled and the number of sheets in a letter, making the system complex and expensive. Hill proposed a uniform rate of one penny for letters weighing up to half an ounce, regardless of the distance. To facilitate the implementation of the Penny Post, Hill also advocated for the introduction of prepaid postage. This revolutionary concept made postal services more affordable and accessible to the general public, leading to a significant increase in mail volume and revenue.

Hill’s postal reforms not only improved the efficiency and affordability of the postal system but also had far-reaching social and economic impacts. The reforms encouraged letter-writing and communication, connecting people across distances and contributing to the spread of ideas, commerce, and personal correspondence. In Chapter 4, “London,” Mask argues that, as a result of this increased correspondence, British officials began considering the question of organizing street names and house numbers more seriously.

William Penn (1644-1718) was an English Quaker, entrepreneur, and colonial leader who played a significant role in the establishment of the Pennsylvania Colony in North America. As the founder of Philadelphia, Penn’s vision and city planning principles left an indelible mark on the city’s layout and development.

Penn’s vision for Philadelphia was rooted in principles of religious tolerance, political liberty, and urban planning. He aimed to create a city that embodied Quaker ideals of equality and peaceful coexistence. In 1682, Penn commissioned Thomas Holme to design a grid-iron street pattern for Philadelphia. Streets would be numbered, perhaps inspired by the Quaker tradition of numbering, rather than naming, days. The city plan included a central public square, now known as Penn Square, intended as a focal point for community gatherings and civic life. Radiating from the central square, streets were laid out in a grid pattern, with broad avenues intersecting at right angles. This design allowed for easy navigation and efficient land distribution.

Penn’s city plan also prioritized the inclusion of green spaces, with several parks and squares integrated into the urban fabric. Mask uses Penn as an example of early American city planning in Chapter 6, “Philadelphia,” presenting Penn’s fondness for numbered city streets as a uniquely American phenomenon.