The most appealing aspect of the image is related to its aesthetic. By using a color gradient that increases in darkness as the percentage of the Non-Hispanic White population decreases, it compellingly sends out two critical messages. The explicit conclusion shows a causal link between racialized groups and higher concentrations of toxic landscapes. More, implicitly is the near absence of toxic sites in predominantly white geographies which, mapped out as such, works to reinforce the notion of whiteness as a de-racialized category.
This found image from Laura Pulido (2000) is a GIS produced map which combines TRI data with census data to illustrate the scale of correlation between places of toxic release and racialized communities in Los Angeles. Its scale of attention is notable, as it shows not only the city limits of Los Angeles, but also the industrial infrastructure of the surrounding area, and how closely it corresponds to the location of non-white communities. This scale is part of the creative translation of data by environmental activists. The map’s aesthetic reveals multiple clusters of TRI sites, and how they are situated in residential areas at the county level.