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Capturing the layers of the Arroyo Seco landscape: documenting a cultural landscape using digital storymaps

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Capturing the layers of the Arroyo Seco landscape: documenting a cultural landscape using digital storymaps

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Capturing the Layers of the
Arroyo Seco Landscape

DOCUMENTING A CULTURAL LANDSCAPE USING DIGITAL STORYMAPS

By

Marisa Spinella

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF HERITAGE CONSERVATION

MAY 2021

Copyright 2021 Marisa Spinella

ii

"The attempt to derive meaning from landscapes possesses overwhelming virtue. It keeps us
constantly alert to the world around us, demanding that we pay attention not just to some of the
things around us but to all of them—the whole visible world in all of its rich, glorious, messy,
confusing, ugly, and beautiful complexity." - Pierce Lewis

iii

Acknowledgements

Going into graduate school, my intention was not to earn a heritage conservation degree.
But I’m so thankful this is how it turned out. Along the way, I met so many people that deserve
recognition and have helped me get here. I cannot name them all here but appreciate their help
just the same.
First off, I want to thank Katie Horak for her enthusiasm at the mention of merging Landscape
Architecture and Heritage Conservation fields as a career aspiration. She helped me realize that
these are compatible fields that together deserve my attention. I would not be here had she not
suggested this as an option and spent time answering my questions.
Next, thank you to my committee members, Alex Robinson, Brian Tichenor, and Trudi
Sandmeier for their guidance and support along this thesis journey. I appreciate their comments
and feedback. Trudi, it was a pleasure having weekly chats in the midst of a pandemic.

iv

Table of Contents

Epigraph ………………………………………………………………………………………….ii
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1
Defining a Cultural Landscape ............................................................................................... 1
The Importance of Cultural Landscapes ................................................................................. 5
Chapter 1: Methods of Documenting Cultural Landscapes ............................................................ 8
Components of Documentation .............................................................................................. 9
Cultural Landscapes Inventory ............................................................................................. 12
Cultural Landscape Report ................................................................................................... 13
Historic Character Study ....................................................................................................... 14
GIS Database ........................................................................................................................ 14
HALS .................................................................................................................................... 15
Other Documentation Methods ............................................................................................. 17
Chapter 2: Digital Storymaps........................................................................................................ 18
How They Are Used ............................................................................................................. 18
What are Esri Story Maps? ................................................................................................... 19
ArcGIS StoryMaps................................................................................................................ 20
Precedent in Documenting Cultural Landscapes with the StoryMap Tool ........................... 21
Chapter 3: Testing Storymaps as a Documentation Tool ............................................................. 26
Selecting A Landscape to Document .................................................................................... 26
Research and Investigation ................................................................................................... 27
Selecting an Approach and Method ...................................................................................... 29
Old vs New Templates .......................................................................................................... 34
Chapter 4: Analysis and Evaluation of ArcGIS StoryMaps ......................................................... 37
Platform Evaluation................................................................................................................... 37
Ease of Use: Storyteller ........................................................................................................ 37
Ease of Use: User Experience ............................................................................................... 38
Using the Features of the Platform ....................................................................................... 39
v

Formatting and Details .......................................................................................................... 42
Storymaps as a Documentation Tool ........................................................................................ 43
Does it work? ........................................................................................................................ 43
Storytelling versus Documentation ....................................................................................... 44
Other Issues to Consider ........................................................................................................... 45
Indications for Similar Platforms .......................................................................................... 45
Self-Publishing Gives Everyone a Platform ......................................................................... 45
Cons of Self-Publishing ........................................................................................................ 47
Looking Forward .................................................................................................................. 48
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 51
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 53
Appendix ....................................................................................................................................... 64

vi

List of Figures

Figure 0.1 Designed Landscape Example ....................................................................................... 3
Figure 0.2 Vernacular Landscape Example .................................................................................... 3
Figure 0.3 Historic Site Example .................................................................................................... 4
Figure 0.4 Ethnographic Landscape Example ................................................................................ 4
Figure 1.1 Defining landscape significance and integrity ............................................................ 11
Figure 2.1 Screenshot of NPS Story Map documenting Arlington Memorial Bridge. ................. 22
Figure 2.2 Screenshot of Waipapa ki Arapuni Cultural Landscape .............................................. 23
Figure 2.3 ArcGIS StoryMap describing a trip to Gilroy, CA...................................................... 24
Figure 3.1 Characteristics of cultural landscapes defined ............................................................ 31
Figure 3.2 Quiz to help storytellers choose the best story format. ............................................... 33
Figure 3.3 Options of Map Series offered. ................................................................................... 33
Figure 3.4 How the Map Series in tabbed format. ........................................................................ 34
Figure 4.1 Potentially helpful error message ................................................................................ 40
Figure 4.2 Express map option bar ............................................................................................... 41

vii

Abstract

Documentation of historic resources is an important step to help ensure significant
characteristics are recorded, so they could be used for research, interpretation, and conservation.
Documenting a cultural landscape can prove daunting with the layers of historic, ecological, and
cultural significance. Creating an inventory, drawing as-built plans, and recording materialities
provide basic documentation, but ultimately the resulting documentation can become a much
more immersive experience with the right tools. In this thesis, I use the ArcGIS StoryMaps as a
method of documenting landscapes, using the Arroyo Seco, a tributary of the Los Angeles River,
as a case study. The case study, a conglomeration of landscapes in itself, will test the
effectiveness of a self-published, digital landscape documentation tool and evaluate its ability to
capture the Arroyo’s complex historic, cultural, ecological and political interplays. The
feasibility of platforms like ArcGIS StoryMaps to encompass the experience of a complex
landscape can have new implications for helping communities document their own cultural
resources first-hand.

1

Introduction
Defining a Cultural Landscape
The term cultural landscape on first glance may not seem like anything special, but the
technical term is much more evocative than a layperson might understand.
1
The term as we
technically understand it today originated with geographer Carl Ortwin Sauer in the 1920s.
2

Before his time, the term landscape was in reference to the paintings and fine art, but Sauer
reclaimed the word to refer to a geographic place. The term was not widely used and through the
1950s, cultural landscapes was rarely used in print, even when appropriate. Due in part to
English historian W.G. Hoskin, who researched rural landscapes, and M.R.G. Conzen’s study of
urban streetscapes, the term began to resurface in the 1950s.
The term has evolved over time, and no longer means quite the same as Sauer intended a
century ago. J.B. Jackson helped, in part, to move the conservation dialogue forward. Quite the
polymath after many years of travel and landscape observation, he incorporated many other
disciplines into his landscape studies published in his magazine and taught to his students.
Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, honored Jackson
post-mortem writing that “Jackson was the first to identify persuasively the elements that make a
particular landscape American, and to explain convincingly how commerce, imagination, need,
and nature collaborated over time in creating the look of the land”.
3
The study identifiable
characteristics that made a landscape a cultural landscape, were among his Jackson’s legacies,
and relates most closely with how the term is used today. The past two decades in particular have
seen a larger recognition of cultural landscapes as an important aspect of heritage conservation.
Particularly notable is that the “application of the concept of cultural landscape has demonstrated
the value of engaging people who live and work in these places and whose commitment is

1
Amos Rapoport, “On Cultural Landscapes,” Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review 3, no. 2 (1992): 33–47.
2
Julia Riesenweber, “Landscape Preservation and Cultural Geography,” in Cultural Landscapes, ed. Richard
Longstreth, NED-New edition, Balancing Nature and Heritage in Preservation Practice (University of Minnesota
Press, 2008), 23–34.
3
Paul Groth and Chris Wilson, “The Polyphony of Cultural Landscape Study: An Introduction,” in Everyday
America, 1st ed., Cultural Landscape Studies after J. B. Jackson (University of California Press, 2003), 1–22.
2

critical to their preservation.”
4
Cultural landscapes are significant because of the value put on
them by the community, and it takes that same community to recognize their importance.
Cultural landscapes are geographic areas that humans have helped shape or influence.
5
At
this point in history, these practically consume the earth, as humans have made enough pollution
and noise to touch most every remote corner.
6
Because there are hardly any pristine places left
and the term can be vague, the term cultural landscapes also encompass another layer of
importance, as “associated with a historic event, activity, or person or exhibiting other cultural or
aesthetic values.”
7
They fall into four categories, as recognized by the National Park Service:
designed landscape, vernacular landscape, historic site, and ethnographic landscape. Each type of
landscape reflects a different aspect of a particular culture. Every landscape will fall into at least
one of these four categories of cultural landscapes, as a landscape created by humans will
automatically be left with an impression of the culture of the people responsible for its
development, but this does not automatically mean that it is historically significant.
1) A designed landscape was a planned attempt at laying out a landscape, guided by
design principals or a recognized tradition. (Figure 0.1)

4
Susan Buggey and Nora Mitchell, “Cultural Landscapes: Venues for Community-Based Conservation,” in Cultural
Landscapes, ed. Richard Longstreth, NED-New edition, Balancing Nature and Heritage in Preservation Practice
(University of Minnesota Press, 2008), 164–79.
5
“About Cultural Landscapes | The Cultural Landscape Foundation,” accessed September 7, 2020,
https://tclf.org/places/about-cultural-landscapes.
6
Rachel Nuwer, “There’s No Such Thing as Truly ‘Pristine’ Nature Anymore,” accessed November 15, 2020,
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160208-theres-no-such-thing-as-truly-pristine-nature-anymore.
7
“Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic
Landscapes,” accessed September 7, 2020, https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/36-cultural-
landscapes.htm.
3

Figure 0.1 Descanso Gardens was designed by architect James E. Delona for E. Manchester Boddy. Photo by author.
2) A vernacular landscape is shaped by attitudes of the people (or person) who occupied
that land. Physical, biological, or cultural presentations help shape the character of
vernacular landscapes. (Figure 0.2)

Figure 0.2 Though seemingly designed with rows of Canary Island date palms, the landscape, streetscape. and views have
evolved over time to reflect the everyday life of area residents. Photo by author.
3) A historic site is a landscape associated with significant events, activities, or people.
Sometimes unassuming places, these landscapes are important because of
4

associations of that space, and not necessarily because of any physical vestiges of that
association. (Figure 0.3)

Figure 0.3 The Lummis House is associated with Charles Lummis, an outstanding figure in the history of Northeast Los Angeles.
Photo by author.
4) Ethnographic landscapes hold natural and cultural resources of the people there.
(Figure 0.4)

Figure 0.4 The Eagle Rock is a large-scale rock formation in Northeast Los Angeles that qualifies as an ethnographic landscape.
Photo from University of Southern California Libraries, California Historical Society; Photo CHS-41464.
5

These groups are not mutually exclusive and any given cultural landscape can fit into one or all
of these cultural landscape types.
The Importance of Cultural Landscapes
In large measure, preservation is storytelling. To prove the power of a place and its
history, we tell its story. A well-told story holds so much power. Rapidly advancing technology
has allowed preservationists to tell these stories through different media. Stories can be oral
histories, visual timelines, images, narratives, or videos. Stories prove significance. Stories save
places from demolition. Stories garner support for a cause. In the conservation field, what we
know as historic context statements boil down to stories.
8
Oftentimes, these are formal and
professional evaluations of a place on behalf of the people who need their story told. Stories help
define a culture. Stories tell our shared history. Today, we can disseminate these stories through
the power of the internet and no longer necessarily need the help of professionals to tell them.
Cultural landscapes have stories to tell, but their very fragile and ephemeral states means
their longevity and the longevity of their stories is sometimes uncertain. Unlike buildings which
usually are continuously maintained to the same, steadfast result, we expect landscapes to
evolve, grow, and react to external stimuli, like the changing seasons. Adding in factors like
designed elements, a rich cultural significance, unique plant species, and wildlife, cultural
landscapes can become incredibly complex and dynamic places with different meanings to
different audiences at different points in time. As layers of the landscape accumulate, so does the
significance, but the layers of history can appear muddled in an untold or poorly organized story.
Lest stories become muddled, mis-told, or, even worse, forgotten, documentation of cultural
landscapes is critically important. Urban planners and designers and landscape architects alone
cannot plan for a cultural landscape, as it is often defined by its evolution.
The Cultural Landscape Foundation, the leading nonprofit protecting cultural landscapes,
says that cultural landscapes are important because of what they can reveal: origins,
development, and association with the nature. This is in addition to the many other opportunities

8
A historic context statement is a report that organizes information about a site through cultural themes, location
and timeline. They “describe the significant broad patterns of development in an area that may be represented by
historic properties.” It helps decision makers with questions regarding “identification, evaluation, registration and
treatment of historic properties.” “Secretary’s Standards--Preservation Planning,” accessed January 14, 2021,
https://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/arch_stnds_1.htm.
6

for beauty, economic and ecological gains, social and recreational benefits, and as teaching tools,
ultimately helping us understand ourselves better. To protect cultural landscapes means
protecting a landscape legacy. Our shared heritage is embedded in cultural landscapes and we all
share the onus of protecting them.
Telling landscapes’ stories become critically important. Especially in a culture obsessed
with visual aesthetics, it’s easy to have the optics of a landscape erroneously become most
important factor in determining its value. Imagine telling the story of our nation’s battle sites
based on the appearance. With an incorrect or incomplete story, it’s impossible to judge a
landscapes significance or value. Landscapes are not only what the designer intended them as.
It’s about what happened there, the buildings, the relation of the spaces, the animals, and the
communities. These complexities are important to share so that we don’t reduce landscapes to
their simplest common factor we can all agree on, its present physical state.
The anthropological cultural aspects of cultural landscapes are important, but
increasingly we recognize the connection between protecting the natural world and cultural
landmarks. Cultural landscapes bring together the worlds of historic preservation and
environmentalism for a single cause.
9
So not only are there reasons that we should preserve our
heritage, but all the reasons that we should preserve green space in general also apply. Carbon
sequestration, ecosystem services, mental health benefits, exercise opportunities, are just a few of
the ample benefits that green space can provide and are equally worthy of protection. Greenspace
should be preserved before we barely have any left. Parks and cultural landscapes work together
well to perform similar functions and achieve the same goal of a connected, socially aware
community.
Preserving cultural landscapes is not just a local issue either. Cultural landscapes are
important to cultures all over the world, and some landscapes are considered heritage of
humanity at large. UNESCO defines cultural landscapes as the landscape resulting from efforts

9
Susan Buggey and Nora Mitchell, “Cultural Landscapes: Venues for Community-Based Conservation,” in Cultural
Landscapes, ed. Richard Longstreth, NED-New edition, Balancing Nature and Heritage in Preservation Practice
(University of Minnesota Press, 2008), 164–79.
7

of both nature and man.
10
UNESCO began designating cultural landscapes beginning in 1992.
To be designated, they must fall under one of the following categories:
1) Clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man
2) Organically evolved landscape
a. The relict (or fossil) landscape still has features visible.
b. A continuing landscape perpetuates into the present moment and its story is still
in progress, though features are able to prove its long-term evolution.
3) Associative cultural landscape
Although there are differences from the way that the National Park Service organizes categories
of cultural landscapes, the idea remains that cultural landscapes are important to all of humanity.
As important as it is to preserve these sites, it’s also important to tell their stories. The stories
contribute to their documentation and make their presence and significance tangible and
defendable.

10
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, “Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention,” January 2008, 175.
8

Chapter 1: Methods of Documenting Cultural Landscapes
The United States, despite a comparatively short existence, has had a rich history and
places that hold cultural meaning, including cultural landscapes. The National Park Service
(NPS) has led the country in cultural landscape documentation, by setting standards and
publishing guidelines. Landscapes are unique because their living components remain in a state
of flux, unlike architectural resources that remain more consistently stable, especially with
proper maintenance. Anthropogenic causes aside, natural forces, lifespan of materials, climate
changes, and a long list of other stimuli have the power to shift landscape elements and threaten
the integrity or shift the status quo of any landscape, designed or natural. It is important to
balance the progressive, expected changes against more harmful changes that may mean
deterioration. Through these shifts, a documented landscape remains a constant, a reference
point, of what the landscape was at one specific point in time.
Over the years, the NPS expanded the choice of acceptable methods of documentation for
historic and cultural landscapes. Today landscape conservationists have more choices than ever
to document a landscape. Cultural Landscape Reports, Historic Landscape Reports, Cultural
Landscape Recommendations, and Landscape Management Plans vary widely though
fundamental elements are shared and are constant between each. At its most basic, ways of
documenting landscapes include an existing/as-built site plan, a narrative, and photography or
other imagery. Other elements like inventory, sections, detail drawings, or condition assessments
can also be used to document a site. Whatever the method, documentation is an important part of
any conservation process.
Internationally, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), a branch of the United Nations that works for peaceful world cooperation
specifically through education, science, and culture, also addresses cultural landscape
documentation. Well known for their designation of Cultural Heritage Sites, sites that they find
to have cultural relevancy to humanity at large, UNESCO also includes designations of World
Heritage Cultural Landscapes. Documentation helps to records these sites and keep them for
generations for our collective shared human culture.
11
The International Council on Monuments

11
“Cultural Landscapes: The Challenges of Conservation 2002,” World Heritage Papers 7, 2003, 193.
9

and Sites (ICOMOS) reviews any cultural landscape nomination. In a report providing guidance
on preparing nominations, UNESCO addresses documentation in a couple ways. They say that a
nominee should provide a “Present State of Conservation” giving a reference point for the
physical state of a property, and address landscapes specifically to say that natural properties
should include ecosystem information.
12
This then directs readers to another document which
details that documentation should include printable images and an audio-visual inventory that
provide a general picture of the property. They also require a narrative concerning previous
designations, copies of management plans/systems, updated inventory of property, and address
of records and archives storage.
13
Needless to say, documentation in whichever form, as long as
it provides context to a place’s significance and overall value, is important to record.
Components of Documentation
14

The National Park Service’s Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes
delineates the important steps of the documentation process for cultural landscapes, including the
planning treatment and management. Documentation typically begins with two basic elements-
research and creating an existing conditions record, though ultimately the steps mentioned in the
preservation brief are non-sequential. Research of the site is important in determining previous
treatment history or alterations. The groundwork for significance is laid through the research.
Another of the beginning steps is the documentation of existing conditions and recording
inventory on site. Simply, this is as-built documentation. One of the most basic levels of
documentation, this includes what features currently sit on the land, whether they’re historic
features, regardless of integrity or significance.
A landscape documentation would include an in-depth-exploration of 1) a landscape’s
significance and 2) a landscape’s integrity. Site analysis examines the deeper layers of the

12
ICOMOS, “Preparing World Heritage Nominations (Second Edition, 2011)” (United Nations Education,
Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 2011).
13
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, “Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention,” January 2008, 175.
14
Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is derived from:
“Preservation Brief 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic
Landscapes.” Accessed September 7, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/36-cultural-
landscapes.htm.

10

history and starts linking historical research with the physical landscape, and then also looking at
the integrity of the landscape. As mentioned earlier, the history research determines a
landscape’s significance and the significance of each of the components within the landscape.
From the significance, integrity identifies a place’s authenticity to a specified period of
significance. Typically, especially with architectural or engineered structures, a place’s integrity
is judged by its setting, location, design, material, workmanship, association, and feeling. While
of course these are important aspects to consider with landscapes as well, sprawling landscapes
don’t have the same strong emphasis on materiality that buildings do. Therefore, in the case of
landscapes, a more effective way to evaluate integrity is to assess character. Unique landscape
characteristics place a landscape chronologically, measure human intervention over time, and
help caretakers assess its overall integrity. These characteristics include natural systems and
features, spatial organization, land use, circulation, cultural traditions, topography, vegetation,
cluster arrangement, buildings and structure, views and vistas, constructed water features,
archeological sites, and small-scale features. (Figure 1.1) By enumerating a landscape’s
components and filtering them through these characteristics, documentation of a landscape
becomes clearer. Unique features define any landscape, and, while the scale of some landscapes
prove large and unwieldy at times, these characteristics are found in every landscape, no matter
how big or small.
11

Figure 1.1 Defining landscape significance and integrity. Image from National Park Service, screenshot by author.
12

From this point on in the process of evaluating and documenting a landscape, the options
are more forward looking into developing philosophies and management plans. Between
preservation, management, and maintenance, plus the strategy and philosophy behind it, the
documentation of the physical landscape provides supportive materials for landscape stewards,
the last of which would include preparing a system to record treatment, as well as
recommendations for future research avenues.
The following documentation strategies incorporate several combinations of the
previously mentioned aspects of documentation. Some, like a Cultural Landscape Inventory, are
a simple recording of what appears physically on-site. Others, like a Cultural Landscape Report,
take a more holistic approach and recognize all the factors of a landscape, including analyses and
plans for long-term management and objectives. Depending on the intended objectives, each
report satisfies different needs for a landscape and its caretakers.
Cultural Landscapes Inventory
15

A cultural landscape inventory, as the name might suggests, is a straightforward method
of landscape documentation, creating an inventory of features onsite. This is a baseline for any
future or potential restoration by providing the basic information about the landscape: location,
historical development, characteristics, and management. While this seems like a worthy task to
undertake when documenting a landscape, it is hardly comprehensive. It focuses solely on the
physical components and numbers of landscape characteristics. The same method carried out on
a large scale is unwieldy and prone to error. With the technology and resources available today, a
simple inventory of a landscape falls short of fully documenting a landscape. The intention in
using this method is not to document comprehensively, but instead to provide a starting point for
developing more in-depth landscape documentation, like a Cultural Landscapes Report.

15
Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is derived from:
Barbara E. Slaiby and Nora J. Mitchell, A Handbook for Managers of Cultural Landscapes with Natural Resource
Values, Woodstock, Vermont: Conservation Study Institute,
2003,https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2174386.
13

Cultural Landscape Report
16

Cultural landscape reports have evolved over the many years of the National Park
Service. Early reports focused on buildings and structures, with less attention to landscapes. And
when documenting landscapes, an emphasis was put on historic research and primary source
documentation, rather than providing any analysis. As time has gone on and the appreciation of
cultural landscapes in their own right have grown, Cultural Landscape Reports have evolved and
continue to evolve. The amount of information included in a Cultural Landscape Report (CLR)
has expanded to include inventory, analysis and evaluation, as well as the classic documentation
of existing conditions, and research about the site’s history, defending its significance as a
cultural landscape. Today CLRs serve as the primary treatment and management document for
cultural landscapes, though content of a report is really determined by scope and objectives. An
appreciation for field surveys, with an opportunity for a first person reading of the landscape has
added depth to the documentation of a cultural landscape. Things like site boundaries, plant
placement, circulation patterns are important for a comprehensive CLR. Visual and situational
relationships involving views and vistas can also play a role in a thorough report.
Because landscapes often umbrella many other cultural resources, CLR might also
include information on other cultural resources within the landscape. For a comprehensive CLR,
a CLI and any relevant Historic Resource Studies would occur first. Usually, these two
documents support each other, and then, in their completion, support the CLR. Things like
Historic Structure reports though, should not be considered prior to a CLR. Information about a
CLR might provide context regarding the relevant information about significance or alterations.
A common period of significance for whole landscape is important to determine before the
significance of a single structure or building.
A cultural landscape report has three main parts. It begins with the history and current
site conditions, plus an analysis and evaluation. A second part would include treatment
recommendations of the cultural landscape, followed by the record of treatment in part three.

16
Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is derived from:
Robert R. Page, Cathy Gilbert, and Susan Dolan, A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process, and
Techniques, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resource Stewardship and
Partnerships, Park Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes Program, 1998.

14

Landscape managers can refer to the CLR to help make decisions far into the future. For
decisions on everything from physicality of the site, restoration and repairs, ecosystem
management, and site uses, the CLR can provide a guiding light ensuring that the landscape will
retain its significance.
Historic Character Study
A historic character study evaluates the “characteristics and features that define and
illustrate the significance of the landscape.”
17
Mapping of these features provides a tangible
illustration of cultural values, and, if mapped at the same scale as natural resources, allows for
multidisciplinary discussions and the identification of opportunities for protection of a mix of
values. This tool is particularly valuable for large sites of several hundred acres containing large
areas of natural systems. For all that it does include, a historic character study is a narrow
window into the greater context that cultural landscapes operate within.
GIS Database
18

Geographic information system (GIS) is a tool to collect and analyze spatial data. The
computer program connects information to a certain identified positions on the earth. This is
particularly helpful because of the layering feature that GIS provides. Between cultural resources
and natural resources, among many other elements of a landscape, this method makes sure that
each is clearly identified in layers. With various layers overlaid, patterns, correlations, or even
potential conflicts become more obvious than they might be otherwise. If not apparent to the
naked eye, GIS allows various analysis tools to find relationships and patterns between the data
points provided. GIS also makes inventory easier as each landscape feature connects to a specific
place on a map. When all of the relevant information appears in the program, the data points can
sort by any one of the descriptors. The internet aids in documenting and sharing this information,
an archival method within itself.

17
Robert R. Page, Cathy Gilbert, and Susan Dolan, A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process, and
Techniques (U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resource Stewardship and
Partnerships, Park Historic Structures and Cultural Landscapes Program, 1998).
18
“What Is GIS? | Geographic Information System Mapping Technology,” accessed September 10, 2020.
https://www.esri.com/en-us/what-is-gis/overview.
15

Of course GIS, with all of its strengths, also has many drawbacks. With such a strong
emphasis on spatial analysis, many other factors are pushed by the wayside and are not displayed
as prominently. An emphasis is placed on a physical point in space, and is taken away from
other, less definitive factors, like feeling or materiality unless the GIS data specifically is
directed to mention such aspects. The black and white of the program does not leave extra room
for interpretation or reading of a landscape, even though landscapes may heavily rely on an
experiential, immaterial methods of looking at a space.
Used in conjunction with other documentation methods, GIS can provide lots of insight.
A historical analysis of Stourhead Landscape Garden in Warminster, England used GIS data in
combination with archival data, centuries old maps drawings to document a landscape over time.
The data they received from the GIS analysis provided data on visualizing ephemeral landscape
characteristics, reconstructing the landscape at points in time, and evaluating topographic and
land formations. Succinctly put, “GIS provides a tool to engage in the development of landscape
by offering means for fresh thinking about the preservation and development of (heritage) sites
and landscapes through its modelling, analytical and visualization capabilities.”
19

HALS
20

HALS, the Historic American Landscapes Survey, was established in 2000 by the
National Park Service. It was conceived as an extension of the existing HABS (Historic
American Building Survey) and HAER (Historic American Engineering Record) programs. This
collection of documentation methods provides a systematic, standardized method to document
historic places of all kinds through a written and visual history, through a recorded history, and
graphics like measured drawings and photographs. According to NPS, this collection is among
the most notable architectural archives in the world, most notable for its size and organization.

19
Steffen Nijhuis, "Mapping the Evolution of Designed Landscapes with GIS: Stourhead Landscape Garden as an
Example," in Mapping Landscapes in Transformation: Multidisciplinary Methods for Historical Analysis, edited by
Thomas Coomans, Bieke Cattoor, and Krista De Jonge, 95-130, Leuven (Belgium): Leuven University Press, 2019.
Accessed January 16, 2021. doi:10.2307/j.ctvjsf4w6.7.
20
Unless otherwise noted, information in this section is derived from:
Judith H. Robinson, and Noel D. Vernon, Historic American Landscapes Survey Guidelines for Historical Reports,
U.S. Dept of the Interior, NPS, 2005. https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/HALS/HALSHistoryGuidelines.pdf.
16

The purpose of HALS is to create a permanent and publicly accessible record of cultural
landscapes in the United States. The Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress
will hold these records for public access. HALS accepts drawings/plans, historic views, historic
views, photographs, interviews, and a bibliography. They also accept potential information
sources and supplemental materials, like historic images and materials. This is all accompanied
by a historic context narrative that describes the historic significance and important information
about its physical history.
The HALS format is not particularly conducive to thoroughly documenting landscapes,
particularly any expansive landscapes. Angles, seasonality, and the living components of
landscapes are difficult to capture within the limited boundaries of what HALS is formatted for.
Things like videos, particularly over time, or perhaps interviews about an experience through a
landscape, in some instances, may better documentation methods. Particularly because
landscapes are animated, and with that brings an aspect of temporality or ephemerality, these
things are difficult if not impossible to record only within the confines of a narrative or
photograph, the most generous visual aspect that HALS can provide. Buildings (documented
through HABS) and engineered structures (documented with HAER) are better candidates to
document with this survey method. Buildings and engineered structures are often more static and
are more comprehensively documented even with fewer vantage points.
The NPS makes a point when explaining HALS to mention that other sources could
provide valuable information beyond what HALS provides. The list of primary and secondary
data sets include more obvious information like archaeological records, original drawings, such
as site plans, map, and photographs. It also includes primary sources regarding the property like
wills, deeds, tax assessments, and other legal records. The classic report sources like articles,
journals, oral histories, and other classic data that governments would document. Keeping all of
these in mind, it is easy to recognize that HALS, just like previous methods mentioned, does not
stand alone in telling the story of a landscape. Documenting a landscape thoroughly requires a
multimedia compilation of relevant information based on objectives.
17

As technology improves, the opportunity to improve documentation and storage methods
also improves. Between the storage capabilities, reliability, and worldwide accessibility of the
internet, digital documentation methods are proliferating.
Other Documentation Methods
The above methods are not the only methods available to document landscapes. In
addition to the digital media like videos, time lapses, and virtual tours that cannot be included in
printed reports, a project might call for even more specific documentation. Lidar (Light
Detection and Ranging) uses remote sensing technology and lasers to scan landscapes and record
three-dimensional data, first used in other scientific fields to gather topographic data and for
environmental monitoring. Archaeological sites can benefit from Lidar’s ability to scan for
subterranean remains and can aid in reconstruction. One of the most notable applications in
cultural landscapes was at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England. Not only was it helpful in helping
address management decisions, but it assisted in modeled reconstructions of Stonehenge.
21

21
Anthony Corns and Robert Shaw, "Lidar and World Heritage Sites in Ireland: Why Was Such a Rich Data Source
Gathered, How Is It Being Utilised, and What Lessons Have Been Learned?" In Interpreting Archaeological Topography:
3D Data, Visualisation and Observation, edited by Rachel S. Opitz and David C. Cowley, 146-60, Oxford; Oakville:
Oxbow Books, 2013. Accessed December 17, 2020. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvh1dqdz.17.
18

Chapter 2: Digital Storymaps
How They Are Used
A story map, if taken at face value, is a visual, logical representation that synthesizes
information around a single topic or narrative. Traditionally, story maps were a tool to teach
language arts, meant to visualize the plot and/or locations of a story.
22
This means that a
storymap can identify setting, characters, and plot parts, like the problems and resolutions. A
storymap can also mean a much more literal map delineating the sequence of places where a
story’s plot develops. ArcGIS StoryMaps, work similarly but uses technological advances to aid
in the storytelling process. While there still remains a language arts aspect to this, an online,
GIS-associated tool like StoryMaps, can teach many other skills as well. Not only does it teach
geographical and space-oriented thinking, like maps do, but it also teaches users to engage with
various media and softwares to present information. There are other media that help presenters
with non-linear storylines, but none that have quite the emphasis on spatial relationships that
ArcGIS StoryMaps does.
23
In this way, it teaches how to understand scale, how to set up data
sets, and how to work with ArcGIS Online, which in itself can launch into a myriad of new
possibilities and opportunities.
24

The story maps of language arts don’t ring true in quite the same way anymore. Today’s
storymaps serve to disseminate information. Though clearly the process of making a digital
ArcGIS Story Map can serve as a teaching tool, the application is meant for sharing information.
The internet amplifies the impact of a StoryMap. This means that StoryMaps are not only
educational for the storyteller, but for the reader. The content and purpose of story can range
widely. Just as readers find their way to the story, they find their own way through the story. It
works through an integration of maps, media, and narrative. There are options for non-linear and

22
Isabel L. Beck, and Margaret G. McKeown, “Developing Questions That Promote Comprehension: The Story
Map,” Language Arts 58, no. 8 (1981): 913–18.
23
Sites like Prezi, Beautiful.ai, and Focusky offer presentation templates that allow for more creative, non-linear
thinking. Users can customize presentation paths to guide their audience through their points in whatever way they
see best, but can readjust the order to show different relationships with the same data.
24
Walshe, Nicola. “Using ArcGIS Online Story Maps.” Teaching Geography 41, no. 3 (2016): 115–17.

19

linear methods. The story maps of today are not just limited to grade school classrooms, as
they’re publicly accessible once published online.
Storytelling/mapping applications allow for exploration of the topic at hand. Depending
on the depth of the story and amount and diversity of the links, it can transport viewers off to far
ends of the internet in pursuit of knowledge. It is publicly accessible, and intuitive in that it
works like a typical website, though perhaps a bit more interactive than a typical website. Some
scrolling, clicking, and adequate internet connection is really all it takes.
What are Esri Story Maps?
25

Esri (originally an acronym for Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.) was
founded in 1969 in Redlands, CA as a consulting firm dedicated to spatial analysis using
geographic information systems (GIS).
26
GIS, computers, and technology in general, have
evolved significantly since 1969. In the 1980s, Esri released ArcInfo, a GIS software sold to the
public, followed by ArcView. Esri has since merged the two products to produce ArcGIS.
27

Today, ArcGIS software that can has a variety of applications including mapping, data collection
and management.
28
Esri continues to release GIS-related software, including Esri StoryMap
(classic story map), which later evolved into ArcGIS StoryMap software.
The Esri Story Maps software, originally introduced in 2011, gives several pre-formatted
templates to tell a story. The website has a short questionnaire that help a creator pick the
template that would best fit their storymap needs. Readily available templates allow the
storyteller to simply fill in the blanks of their story. These templates includes cascade, journal,
series, shortlist, swipe and spyglass and tour. Each option provides an opportunity to approach
the story from a different angle, using spatial analysis, narratives, and multimedia.

25
“Esri Story Maps - Harness the Power of Maps to Tell Your Story,” accessed September 1, 2020,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/en/.
26
Redlands Area Historical Society published a classic Story Map documenting the history of the city, in which Esri
plays a large part in. The classic Story Map, in part, follows their physical development and moves through the city.
Redlands Area Historical Society, “Redlands Historical Timeline,” accessed November 30, 2020,
https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=0df22a7eebdb485882e89536308e6e36.
27
Ian Gregory and Paul Ell, Historical GIS: Technologies, Methodologies, and Scholarship (Cambridge University
Press, 2007).
28
“About ArcGIS | Mapping & Analytics Platform,” accessed December 10, 2020, https://www.esri.com/en-
us/arcgis/about-arcgis/overview.
20

• Cascade takes the full screen width to present the story’s media, and reading
through the story requires scrolling through the story’s narrative.
• Journal allows the viewer to rea through sections, each with its own map, and all
accompanied by a scrolling side panel.
• Map series provides a way to present a series of maps, each supported by topical
information. Maps are arranged via bullets, tabs, or an expandable list.
• Shortlist is a similar experience though instead of tabs or bullets, the options are
presented through a clickable, interactive list on a side panel.
• Swipe and spyglass allows for a classic comparison of maps, where a slider could
present a “before and after” view.
• The map tour, as the name might suggest, guides the viewer through several locations
on a single map.
• A basic option is also available in which a map stands alone to tell its story.
ArcGIS StoryMaps
In July 2019, Esri launched a new story map application designed to improve the user
experience and increase versatility. In basic form and function, the application remains the same.
Esri claims that all the original storytelling methods are available in the new ArcGIS StoryMaps
application, saying that they have qualities of the original, including “Journal-like elements” or
that storytellers can make a “Cascade-like story”, both of which are original Esri Story Map
templates.
29
Rather than having users choose a specific template, the use of a single, integrated
template seems to be a major marketing point for Esri. They also now allow for unpublished
changes, where edits can save privately before published, and express maps, quickly-drawn,
simple maps made with an intuitive tool. They began referring to the older Esri Story Maps as
“classic story maps”, a term that I will also use to refer to the old version of their storymaps.
There are also other differences only apparent once immersed in the application.
StoryMaps, despite its name, puts less of an emphasis on maps compared to its predecessor.
There are many published stories without a spatial analysis aspect. In terms of documentation,
StoryMaps allow for flexibility and choice. There are no predetermined templates, but rather a

29
Owen Evans, “Moving to ArcGIS StoryMaps,” ArcGIS StoryMaps, January 2021,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/472a6ddd582b40b58a5a6af2c30a4573.
21

much more open path to design a story, and any special feature is incorporated into one singular,
all-encompassing format. Just as methods of documenting cultural landscapes can vary, this
application allows for a similar freedom. Storytellers can include landscape inventories, focus
more on images and photos, a striking historic narrative, complex maps, or a combination of any
of these in order to prove the significance of their cultural landscape.
Precedent in Documenting Cultural Landscapes with the StoryMap Tool
There are several examples of using a mapping application to document cultural
landscapes. With the relatively recent advent of digital story maps, they are not yet accepted as a
formal documentation method. However, because of the many of customizable options, using
StoryMaps as a documentation method is possible. We know the elements that comprise a CLR,
as a paper document reads more linearly, but an interactive application might need guidance not
necessarily for structure but for points to touch upon or how to make the most of the options
provided.
The National Park Service (NPS) published a classic story map for National Park Service
workers to explain the four classic Story Map templates for use on NPS websites.
30
Within their
story map introducing the concept, NPS has many other examples of Esri story maps embedded,
displaying the application’s versatility and range. One showcases their volunteer efforts in 2018,
another more audio-based story map guides listeners through a soundscape, while many others
are classic historic stories of the landscapes and culture. Each of them effectively uses the
application to tell a story. Documentation in its simplest form records the physical presence of a
landscape and tells the origin/explanatory story of the land. In this case, it is inherent in the very
nature of the storymap application to document when the subject matter pertains to a cultural
landscape or any historic subject.

30
“Elevate Park Stories with Story Maps,” accessed October 9, 2020,
https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/cascade/v1/index.html?appid=f7335e43d15247efaf371b2554c45468.
Jessica Weinberg McClosky et al., “Make Park Science Exciting with Story Maps!,” accessed January 15, 2021,
https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/cascade/v1/index.html?appid=66a09ab13ea24343a9965ed869f68c0a. The story
map is undated, and initially refers to the older generation templates as options. Near the end, it addresses the 2019
release of ArcGIS StoryMaps, that at the time of publishing the website, were not compatible with the NPS website.
22

A noteworthy NPS storymap documents the Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington
D.C.
31
According to NPS Cultural Resource GIS Specialist Diedre McCarthy, this story map was
successfully used as part of the documentation needed to fulfill Section 106 requirements.
32

Despite any official storymap standards or prescriptive structures, the NPS compiled relevant
information and links, like prior HAER documentation. (see Figure 2.1) All of this information
could be compiled into a Cultural Landscape Report but it would be unwieldy and lengthy,
particularly if the reader is searching for a specific topic. Compiling the information in a central
location in a Story Map allows for easy access and exploration of the Arlington Memorial
Bridge, as well as a variety of related stories, all from the one storymap.

Figure 2.1 NPS Story Map documenting Arlington Memorial Bridge in Washington, D.C.
https://www.nps.gov/gis/storymaps/mapjournal/v2/index.html?appid=8a63cee7ea6c44cc95003250a160c8e7. Storymap by
National Park Service. Screenshot by author.
One cultural landscape related example of an ArcGIS StoryMap published in December
of 2019 shows a story of Waipapa ki Arapuni Cultural Landscape in New Zealand’s North
Island.
33
(Figure 2.2) Mapping serves as the main storytelling device, overlapping layers of
history and culture as the cascade-like story scrolls through. This story had a strong spatial
component, so it made sense to make a series of maps. An example like this is also important to

31
“Arlington Memorial Bridge | HABS/HAER/HALS,” accessed September 10, 2020,
https://www.nps.gov/hdp/exhibits/amb/amb_index.htm.
32
Deidre McCarthy, Interview by Marisa Spinella, Video conference, October 29, 2020.
33
Raukawa Charitable Trust, “Cultural Landscape Mapping,” November 2020,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/691db3cd72f540ab972fe239e9ceece5.
23

show the versatility of the platform, highlighting not just governmental organizations, but it also
meets the needs for private and non-profit organizations. Story maps can aid in efforts to
advocate and educate in this case.

Figure 2.2 ArcGIS StoryMap of Waipapa ki Arapuni Cultural Landscape in New Zealand’s North Island had maps overlaid on
satellite imagery of the landscape. The side provides some commentary and diagrams.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/691db3cd72f540ab972fe239e9ceece5 Storymap by Raukawa Charitable Trust. Screenshot
by author.
Another story map comes from a student documenting specific topics relating to San
Francisco and Gilroy (a town right outside of San Jose) in Northern California.
34
(Figure 2.3)
The objective for the author, Lauren Paredes-Garcia, seems to be to fulfil the requirements for an
assignment that she references. This more casual narrative relies on text and images to tell this
story. In fact, the author did not use a single map in telling her story. It read much like a blog
would, and so it did not provide a unique view of the landscape. In this case, maps could have
helped her point, but were by no means necessary to telling her story. This type of storymap
proves the versatility of the platform, as well as the low threshold required of the storymap
maker. Whereas other Esri software make take many hours to understand and master, storymaps
can be created by just about anyone looking to publish online.

34
Lauren Paredes-Garcia, “Story Mapping: A Cultural Landscape,” August 2020,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/38ccdab2689a4f65986e239c336d271f.
24

Figure 2.3 ArcGIS StoryMap describing a trip to Gilroy, CA. This storyteller did not use maps or spatial analysis features, but
just used the platform to publish photographs and text online.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/38ccdab2689a4f65986e239c336d271f Storymap by Lauren Paredes-Garcia. Screenshot by
author.
From these three examples, as well as many other examples found through ArcGIS, we
can deduce the application is accessible and serves both the professional and the amateur
landscape documentarian. Even with little experience and without using any GIS mapping
methods, the application serves its purpose and allows people a platform to publish a variety of
stories and visuals. Particularly with the ArcGIS StoryMaps app (in comparison to the ESRI
Story Maps), the app relies on the documentarian or storyteller to know how to frame their story
effectively and succinctly. In this way, it really is no different than any standard blog or website.
A trip to SquareSpace or Wix can serve an identical purpose. Although it can be used for simple
narratives, the spatial analysis component really makes this platform what it is. While a Google
Map with pushpins might be another alternative, to have these features integrated into a single
place. For those already familiar with ArcGIS, ArcMaps, and other Esri software, rarely do these
maps stand alone. They work as a unit of a larger project. ArcGIS StoryMaps allow the whole
project to unite in one place so that maps, narratives, and other media can unite under a single
platform.

25

As technology and its accessibility continues to improve, opportunities and options for
documentation methods also improve. An example of this are the storymaps produced through
Esri. The first version launched was Esri’s Story Maps templates, an online application for
storytelling using interactive maps and multimedia. Since the introduction of Story Maps in
2011, Esri has developed and released the new generation of storymaps, coined ArcGIS
StoryMaps. The intention is to have the July 2019 addition eventually replace the Esri Story
Maps as the new map option. By July 2024, classic Esri templates will no longer be available to
create new content and storytellers will have no choice but to use the ArcGIS StoryMaps. Just
like with every technological update, the new generation of templates presents their own
opportunities and challenges.
35

35
Owen Evans, “Moving to ArcGIS StoryMaps,” ArcGIS StoryMaps, January 2021,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/472a6ddd582b40b58a5a6af2c30a4573.
26

Chapter 3: Testing Storymaps as a Documentation Tool
Selecting A Landscape to Document
To see if digital storymaps provide a platform suitable for documenting cultural
landscapes, I put them to the test. First came the process of selecting a cultural landscape to
document. I decided upon the Arroyo Seco (Arroyo), a tributary of the Los Angeles River in Los
Angeles County, California. It is a twenty-five-mile seasonal river that flows from the San
Gabriel Mountains, through several cities and unincorporated Los Angeles County, eventually
meeting with the Los Angeles River just north of Elysian Park. Though linear, it does hold a
shared history along its length, and that culture seeps into the adjacent neighborhoods. The
Arroyo runs through municipalities overseen by multiple city and federal organizations. A non-
profit organization, the Arroyo Seco Foundation, founded by Charles Lummis, serves as a central
organization for the length of the waterway, as they work for a “harmonious, integrated
approach” as they advocate for the Arroyo.
36
The Arroyo Seco watershed spans forty-seven
square miles, meaning that any surface runoff from this area finds its way to the Arroyo Seco.
37

This watershed boundary served as a perfect boundary for landscape documentation.
38

As a resident of Northeast Los Angeles, the Arroyo quickly came to mind as a relevant
cultural landscape appropriate for this project. This stream is part of my personal neighborhood
cultural heritage, but also speaks to many communities of people and their cultures. I have spent
my life hearing about Lummis Days and visiting the museums of the Arroyo.
39
Functionally, the

36
Arroyo Seco Foundation, “About | Arroyo Seco Foundation,” n.d., https://www.arroyoseco.org/about.htm.
37
Army Corps of Engineers, “Arroyo Seco Watershed Ecosystem Restoration Study Los Angeles County,
California,” Feasibility Scoping Meeting Documentation (Final), August 2011, 218.
38
Even though I designated a forty-seven square miles as a landscape boundary, most of the landmarks associated
with the culture of the Arroyo are located within a mile or two of the Arroyo. The ecology and natural features are
also most intact in the areas directly adjacent to the river. Evidence of Arroyo culture and ecology can be found
throughout the watershed, though in lesser concentrations.
39
Lummis Days is an annual weekend meant to celebrate the shared culture of Northeast Los Angeles. The events
began in 2006 and two years later, the Lummis Days Community Foundation, the organization that runs the Lummis
Days, was founded. Events include workshops, music and entertainment, poetry readings, art exhibitions, film
screenings, talks, and events specifically for families, like puppet shows. These are located throughout Northeast
Los Angeles, like the Lummis House, Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park, and Southwest Museum, as well as at
participating art galleries and educational institutions like Occidental College.
Museums of the Arroyo (MOTA) Day is an annual event to highlight the history, art, and architecture of the Arroyo
and Los Angeles area. Six museums along the route of the Arroyo Seco, including the Gamble House, Heritage
Square, the Los Angeles Police Museum, Lummis House, Pasadena Museum of History, and the Southwest
Museum, welcome the public free of charge on MOTA Day.
Lummis Days Festival. “Lummis Days Festival.” Accessed December 6, 2020. http://www.lummisday.org.; “The
Museums of the Arroyo,” n.d., http://www.museumsofthearroyo.com/.
27

Arroyo helps keep neighborhoods on its banks dry during stormy months. Numerous bridges
forge a connection across the Arroyo, linking Los Angeles city to Pasadena and South Pasadena.
Neighborhoods within its watershed feel its presence daily. With this sort of local importance, I
felt that it was worth investigating more. The next step was looking into the layers of meaning
and significance within the Arroyo’s vast landscape.
Research and Investigation
40

Before even considering anthropological and cultural importance, let us consider how the
Arroyo plays an inherently ecological role in the west San Gabriel Valley. The life-giving force
of the Arroyo stands first and foremost in its list of characteristics. It is a waterway at its core and
serves the wildlife, plant communities, and ecosystems it meanders through. The Arroyo waters
the wooded canyons in the San Gabriel Mountains, majestic Pasadena oak trees, and the
sycamores of Highland Park’s Sycamore Park. Water enabled the habitat to take root, as well as
served the early farming communities around the river. At the headwaters in the mountains is the
best place to see the ecological power of the Arroyo as an ecological hotspot. The remaining
sections of native habitat along the river give a glimpse into how the length of the river might
have looked at one time. Several parks along its length retain natural features and provide
ecosystem services. The native oaks, sycamores, and cottonwood grace the higher banks of the
Arroyo and strengthen ecological ties that make it a prime wildlife corridor. Hikers frequent this
undeveloped land as many trails cross these foothills. Recreational trails are present through La
Cañada and Pasadena, and the installation of bike paths in Highland Park make it a destination
for bicyclists.
Long before any settlers, the Native American Indian tribes of the Tongva were fond of
the land between the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers. They referred to it as Hahamongna,
meaning “the land of flowing waters, fruitful valley.” When the Spanish arrived at this same area
and found the land, they called it the Arroyo Seco, translated to the “dry river.” The Arroyo Seco

40
History of the Arroyo Seco can be found in these locations:
Rick Thomas, The Arroyo Seco, United States: Arcadia Pub., 2008.
Tim Brick, “A Brief History of Water Development in the Arroyo Seco,” n.d., 9.
For an investigation into the bohemian and Arts and Crafts segment of the Arroyo’s history, see:
Sharyn Wiley Yeoman, “Messages from the Promised Land: Bohemian Los Angeles, 1880–1920” (Ph.D., United
States -- Colorado, University of Colorado at Boulder, 2003),
http://search.proquest.com/docview/305334399/abstract/7A98162CBB6E40A8PQ/1.
Information in this section and the storymap itself was derived from sources in the bibliography.
28

serves as the spiritual center of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Los Angeles. Los Angeles in
the beginning of the twentieth century served as a collector of similarly minded people who
believed in the values of the Arts and Crafts Movement, including respect for local materials and
construction methods, practical design, and sensitive site layout. Within the Los Angeles area,
the Arroyo served as a hotspot for Arts and Crafts and bohemian living. Charles Lummis, a
journalist and author with a great appreciation for the American Southwest, settled near the
Arroyo Seco and built his own home of Arroyo river rocks at El Alisal, where he hosted many
parties. Painter William Lees Judson established a fine arts college in the Garvanza area of
Highland Park. When this college merged into the University of Southern California and became
its first dean, the old home of the college became his stained-glass and fine arts studio and
business. Judson also founded the Arroyo Guild of Craftsmen, a group of artists in the Arroyo
Seco area. The history of the Arroyo as a significant place started with these artist communities
that saw the inherent value of the Arroyo, and took inspiration from it.
In the times of Judson and Lummis, the Arroyo Seco presented as a classic soft-bottomed
creek with water freely flowing over smoothed river rocks. Today, after many floods, the Arroyo
Seco has paved, concrete banks to direct the large amounts of water away from properties. With
ample bridges, several dams, and the Arroyo Seco Parkway alongside it, the Arroyo also serves
as an extraordinary engineering feat. While its concrete banks serve as its most defining feature,
the river today has landmarks in adjoining neighborhoods tied closely with its identity and
function. Notable architects like brothers Charles and Henry Greene, Frank Lloyd Wright, and
Myron Hunt have found inspiration on the banks of the river and their legacy lives on there
through their works.
41
The Arroyo is a give and take between creators and the landscape.
These narratives are sometimes at conflict with each other. Yes, wildlife relish in the
parks along the river’s edge, but the infrastructure is clearly at odds with nature, with concrete
banks and cars rushing by on the freeway. The freeway itself is a crucial link between Pasadena

41
Charles and Henry Greene have several houses in the Pasadena area, most notable of which is the Gamble House
(1908). Nearly around the block from the Gamble House is Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1923 Millard House, also known
as La Miniatura. Myron Hunt designed all around the Pasadena area, but most connected to the Arroyo are the Rose
Bowl (1922) and La Casita del Arroyo (1933), a community meeting hall.
David Gebhard and Robert Winter, An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles, 6th ed. (Santa Monica, CA: Angel
City Press, 2018).
29

and downtown Los Angeles, but at what cost? Sharp turns and quick on- and off- ramps are a
recipe for disastrous crashes.
The layers of significance of the Arroyo made a relevant and important place to
document. Because of its importance to various communities, the Arroyo already has extensive
scholarship, studies, and research focused on it. Compiling and organizing the information from
the various jurisdictions and organizations through traditional tools seemed limiting. I hoped
digital storymaps through would provide a more useful way to organize the information.
Selecting an Approach and Method
Traditional documentation methods fell short of providing satisfactory way of
documenting a landscape of this magnitude. Even with a platform as accommodating as Esri’s
StoryMaps tool, telling the story of a landscape the size of the Arroyo with all of its details and
complexities comes close to impossible. Such a simple structure of narrative and inventory
would not capture the breadth of the story of the Arroyo. A digital storymap allows the flexibility
to customize documentation to fit the broader nature of my Arroyo investigation. This led me to
one of the first decisions about the storymap—I would need to take a broad approach, only
documenting the larger scale characteristics. Documenting the Arroyo Seco would require
curatorial decisions and lots of editing, as I can’t include every building and structure, or every
piece of vegetation. I did not want an avalanche of details to hinder the broader narratives I did
want to tell.
HALS Guidelines for Historic Reports, the nation’s guiding report on cultural landscape
documentation, provides a set of resources that a HALS submission would include, like
photography, plans, narrative, etc.
42
Among their counsel in how to document a landscape,
HALS enumerates characteristics of landscapes that help establish historic context, significance,
and integrity. Broken down into two categories: 1) Natural Features include Topography,
Vegetation, and Water; 2) Designed Features include Land Patterns, Circulation, Views and

42
Judith Helm Robinson, Noel D. Vernon, and Catherine C. Lavoie, “Historic American Landscapes Survey
Guidelines for Historic Reports” (National Park Service, 2005),
https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/HALS/HALSHistoryGuidelines.pdf.
30

Vistas, Water, Buildings and Structures, Small Scale Elements, Archaeological Sites, and
Other.
43

I chose these categories to provide a loose structure for my storymap, as these discrete
characteristics would transfer well into a clear, navigable format. A storymap would also have
the capabilities to include any other characteristics or notable features that help establish the
unique sense of place of the Arroyo.

43
Materials on the National Park Service website categorized the characteristics a bit differently, as thirteen distinct
categories, listed as Archaeological Sites, Buildings and Structures, Circulation, Cluster Arrangement, Constructed
Water Features, Cultural Traditions, Land Use, Natural Systems, Small Scale Features, Spatial Organization,
Topography, Vegetation, and Views and Vistas. There are some minor differences between the two. To account for
the discrepancy, Cultural Resource GIS Facility Chief Deidre McCarthy says “The NPS cultural landscapes program
produces cultural landscapes reports, and HALS produces its landscape reports for documentation. They do have
different standards as a result. The NPS cultural landscapes program reports are designed for an NPS audience and
describe not only the historic landscape but discuss alternatives for preserving/rebuilding/providing alternatives for
maintaining the landscapes.” Interview by Marisa Spinella. Video conference, October 29, 2020.
31

Figure 3.1 Characteristics of cultural landscapes defined in A Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports. Image by National Park
Service.
Once I started understanding storymaps, it was also important to me to have my storymap
be accessible and an easy place to explore. This meant easily and quickly jumping from section
32

to section. So, despite having settled on these discrete characteristics to help guide my
formatting, thirteen separate categories still proved an unwieldy number to elegantly navigate. It
was clear that deletion of sections was not an option, as it would not give a full indication of the
landscape, which is a crucial part of the documentation process. Instead, I chose to consolidate
and merge categories together. For instance, Natural Features is broad enough to include
Vegetation, and Spatial Organization could serve as an umbrella term for the Land Use, Cluster
Arrangement, and Circulation sections. This also meant that I could nest storymaps within my
main storymap to accommodate all the relevant information. My goal was to keep the main
storymap direct and navigable without too many tangents. Tangents have a place when exploring
a topic, which is ultimately part of the goal of my storymaps as a conglomeration of information.
However, I wanted the main storymap to remain a launching point rather than a source itself.
With these distinct documenting categories in mind, I started a storymap that would fit
my needs in documenting the Arroyo Seco. The Esri website included both Classic Story Maps
and the new ArcGIS StoryMaps options. I started with the ArcGIS StoryMaps, but after creating
a new story, on first impression, it was blank and lacked structure. I resorted back to Classic
Story Maps, where they provided several structured templates, and a quiz for users unsure of
what format would best suit their needs. (Figure 3.1) With the help of this quiz, I decided on a
map series format, arranged in tabs. (Figure 3.2) These tabs gave me to the opportunity to lay out
the characteristics in a clear and discrete way. I assigned a characteristic to each tab I created and
kept relevant information confined to that tab. It would allow for an easy exploration of topics,
jumping from one tab to another, rather than relying on a guided narrative requiring attention
start to finish. (Figure 3.3)
33

Figure 3.2 Quiz to help storytellers choose the best story format. Screenshot by author.

Figure 3.3 Options of Map Series offered. Screenshot by author.
34

Figure 3.4 How the Map Series appeared using a tabbed format to organize landscape characteristics. Screenshot by author.

One week while I worked on my storymap, Esri must have made an update, and the
interface of storymap options upon login were scrambled compared to what I had seen
previously. The website listed my one, mostly empty ArcGIS StoryMap that I had made
experimentally when exploring storymap options. Access to my previous maps had become more
difficult, but I did find a roundabout way to access my Classic StoryMap eventually.
Old vs New Templates
This detour in the process prompted me to explore the difference between the two
options. It was clear Esri was promoting the ArcGIS StoryMaps over any of the others available.
Esri was fading out Classic Story Maps in favor of ArcGIS StoryMaps. They gave a timeline on
how and when this transition would happen. Most helpful from a story-maker’s perspective, they
also gave ample information on how to transition from one application to the other.
44
Helpfully,
they keep this page updated, though even this helpful post seems to act more as an advertisement
more than a practical go-to guide for tips and tricks on transitioning. While it took a bit of
exploring to become acclimated to the style, learning the app itself came easily and without
strife.

44
Owen Evans, “Moving to ArcGIS StoryMaps,” ArcGIS StoryMaps, January 2021,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/472a6ddd582b40b58a5a6af2c30a4573.
35

Included in the help tab of every StoryMap is a rundown of many possible reasons a user
might need help. The very helpful Release Notes section gives a full rundown of what Esri
added, changed, and fixed on StoryMaps.
45
Seeing the evolution in their release notes gives me
confidence that StoryMaps will continue to improve and grow. Esri seems aware that their
nascent program might contain errors, and it looks like they are actively putting in the effort to
make those necessary improvements and helpful additions.
They claim that there are more options with the new templates. They want to “empower
every storyteller” and “digital storytelling on your own terms”. Just like the pros and cons of a
blank slate, this can liberate some storytellers, but also intimidate others when the site provides
no specific structures to populate.
A pro to this transition rests in the compatibility of the platforms. Esri does suggest that
storytellers transfer their stories to the new templates. Additionally they say “That there’s not a
strict one-to-one relationship between the elements of classic stories and the “blocks” in ArcGIS
StoryMaps.”
46
The platform change transformed my a tabbed Map Series into an endless scroll.
To mitigate the lack of tabs, I opted for the simplest storymap version that includes navigation
headings on a horizontal toolbar, rather than the “side car” method that retained the priority focus
on maps. Even with small workarounds like this, there really are a lack of directly equitable
elements in each of the templates that can make the transition more difficult for someone looking
for something specific or a particular feature the previous version had already exposed them to.
One of the first notable differences was the newer version trying to upsell a higher-level
subscription. With some quick exploration of the platform, I used the free version available to
those with an ArcGIS Online subscription. The free, public account is recommended for those
using StoryMaps for nongovernmental and noncommercial purposes. With this in mind, I
decided against subscribing to higher level accounts, and after some initial use of the platform
determined that this had the level of customization and adaptability that I needed. Advanced
account levels allow storytellers to embed web pages directly to the storymap, rather than simply
linking. While this feature could prove abundantly useful for someone trying to sell products or a

45
“Release Notes—ArcGIS StoryMaps | Documentation,” December 2020, https://doc.arcgis.com/en/arcgis-
storymaps/reference/release-notes.htm.
46
Allen Carroll, “Recreating a Classic Story with ArcGIS StoryMaps,” ArcGIS Blog (blog), November 11, 2019,
https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/story-maps/mapping/recreating-classic-story-maps-in-arcgis-storymaps/.
36

service, or promote a brand, I am not, so they are not useful to me. Linking to outside pages
away from the main storymap proved effective as is. Keeping with the available story themes
also required no large sacrifice, but would have been an additional feature, along with the ability
to track viewership with Google Analytics. While helpful or perhaps even fun to look into, this
again was not a necessity. For basic users who don’t have extensive coding experience, this
simple level suited my needs quite well despite any initial hesitations I had at first mention.

37

Chapter 4: Analysis and Evaluation of ArcGIS StoryMaps

Platform Evaluation
By using the platform to research and document the Arroyo Seco landscape, I was able to
sample the variety of options for formatting and customization that the platform had to offer in
the free version. This included visualization options like maps and express maps, photo
collections, and nested storymaps. I used the platform not just in isolation as a documentation
tool, but I used it to explore other cultural landscapes. This also means that I developed opinions
on the way that the new platform might be massaged into an even better version or what’s
working great as-is. Many of the core qualities of storymaps ended up as both pros and cons, so
user discretion is advised.
Ease of Use: Storyteller
Despite their differences, both options offer intuitive, user-friendly customizing options. I
originally preferred the templates of Esri Story Maps because of the structured approach. As a
storyteller, I could focus on the story and information rather than on the graphic elements. I
quickly discovered that ArcGIS StoryMaps aren’t quite as graphically customizable as they had
led me to believe. However, it did allow for customizations in that it served as a catch-all for the
media the story required, rather than restricting the choice to a single template from start to
finish. The open-ended nature of platform proved to be both a pro and a con throughout various
points of the storymapping process. The tool provides a structured template, and I populate the
fields with my story and supporting media. Despite my desire for more structure, the goal was
easy enough to understand.
Without any specific templates in place, a storymap can be easily populated with just
words and pictures, much like any blog or simple website, leaving out the mapping aspect.
People without cartographic or GIS interest can create a story, or document a cultural landscape,
just with a narrative and images. This allows better access for the greater public who can ease
into the idea of creating storymaps slowly without having to simultaneously create a complex,
dynamic ArcGIS map. Ease of use from the story creator is pretty high, and the threshold for
new users low.
38

With rapidly evolving technology, there are no specific guidelines or outlines on what a
storymap should look like as a method of documentation, past what is typically included in a CLI
or CLR. There aren’t yet any procedures about what order it should go in, specific information it
should include or link to, or the resolution of photography and imagery posted. Telling the story
of a cultural landscape can get progressively more difficult when there is a standard to follow.
Documenting cultural landscapes through digital storymaps right now in the absence of a set of
standards to follow is a freeing and creative endeavor. Though those two words might not be the
perfect recipe for an acceptable HALS submittable for instance, digital storymaps might be the
place where cultural landscape documentation has permission to take a creative turn, and the
decision is up to the user whether or not they will stay.
Ease of Use: User Experience
As a landscape conservationist and documentarian, I primarily see the stories through the
lens of storyteller, but from the consumer’s end of the story, a storymap retains its standing as an
effective tool. Anyone with access to the internet can access a storymap, and the whole process is
innately intuitive. For as complicated as GIS and maps can get behind the scenes, reading and
interpretation of the maps is generally straightforward. The application allows for interactive
maps. Users can expand the maps, zoom-in for specifics, or zoom-out for context.
Allowing people to explore and choose their own destination puts the user in control of
what topics they would want to peruse. Exploring a cultural landscape can lead readers in so
many various relevant directions. In my topic, for example, biologists might look more at my
vegetation section and the links featured there, while a tourist unfamiliar with the area might
want to explore options for local trails or locate historic buildings and structures. As
customizable as the maps are from the storyteller point of view, the stories can also be suitable
for a personal exploration through links to external information and other interactive features.
While entertaining, a storymap can also serve as an easily digestible educational
platform. Storymaps can link or embed everything from YouTube videos cruising down the
parkway, to iNaturalist sightings of wildlife, to the official Judson Studio website, to access
educational information about local history, and ecology, or methods of stain-glass window
production. In the age of remote learning, storymaps can provide a virtual tour of a real
landscape so education and field trip-like experiences can continue despite any traveling hurdles.
39

Storymaps can help make learning fun with the right framing of a subject. Best of all, they are
highly customizable for any learning opportunity.
Though overall ArcGIS StoryMaps are an intuitive platform, there are areas for
improvement. Finding stories outside the ArcGIS StoryMaps platform proved difficult. Using
Google, I searched the internet for one of the platforms I mentioned earlier in my thesis, “Story
Mapping: a Cultural Landscape” by Lauren Paredes-Garcia which explored San Francisco and
Gilroy. Using key terms like the author’s name, storymaps, ArcGIS, and the storymap locations,
Google did not link me to the proper link. I made my search terms more and more specific, until
I included just the author and the storymap’s title, but still to no avail. One of the benefits of the
platform is its intuitive nature, but its inaccessibility to those searching the internet subtracts
from that approachable quality and ease of use. From the user-end, remembering a story but not
having the ability to search it, or even search it using relevant search terms is frustrating.
Using the Features of the Platform
1) Slideshow
The slideshow option (see Appendix A) was available in beta phase when I was making
my StoryMap. For my use, the slideshow worked well, and I only detected one small hiccup that
would point to it being in beta phase. The software can’t read if the image should be in landscape
or portrait orientation. If I upload a portrait-oriented image and more vertically oriented, the
program stretches it to fit the width of the space allotted for the image. This skews the photo
beyond anything recognizable. Then I, as the storyteller, manually adjust the settings to “fit”
rather than “fill.” In my experience, I rarely, if ever, have wanted a photo to fill because of the
image distortion. The default should be to keep the image proportions, and anything else should
be included in manual settings. It also suggested that my caption in the panel was too long,
which would require scrolling. (Figure 4.1) The story as a whole was lengthy already and would
definitely need scrolling, even when navigating within the story. While I suppose it could be
considered a helpful note in some circumstance, it didn’t seem necessary. Given the freedom the
ArcGIS StoryMaps provide, this moment of policing seemed out of place.
40

Figure 4.1 Potentially helpful error message. Screenshot by author.
2) Sidecar (See Appendix C)
When starting my storymap with ArcGIS StoryMaps, my inclination was to use the
sidecar option. This made maps the focal point, and the sidecar acted like a caption to the main
event. When I figured out there wasn’t a way to navigate easily within the storymap with
Sidecar, and wanting to avoid never-ending scrolling, I pivoted because my story would be too
long. From this, I learned there are two circumstances where the Sidecar does do well. A shorter
story fits the format, so scrolling would be necessary but not tiresome. I used the Sidecar to write
my secondary story about the Arroyo Seco Parkway. I found it was helpful in setting up the
story, telling its history, and then wrapping up with what we see today and modern topics
associated with the highway. The template helped move the narrative along, and components
within the story are rearranged easily.
3) Map tour (See Appendix B)
I found map tours straightforward and intuitive. Both making and navigating the tour had
a clear interface. The map tour is one of the templates that seem to be replicated from the
previous ESRI Story Map templates. It would be challenging to accomplish this very specific
task without having a map tour tool provided, so it made sense that it would be included. I used
the map tour to map the locations of Buildings and Structures within the Arroyo Seco landscape.
It performed well, quite the way I would hope a map tour would. The pins on the map responded
when I clicked a specific building, and vice versa, so that an image of the building/structure and
information appeared after clicking on a location pin.
4) Swipe (See Appendix A)
While I liked the idea of sliding a bar to see the difference between two images, this
really works best for maps. I tried using this for an archival aerial photograph of the Arroyo and
41

compare it to a modern-day Google Satellite image. Painstakingly, I cropped the Google image
so the two matched. I redid this several times before admitting defeat, but this could have been
user error. I definitely would find it easier to position two maps with the same base map rather
than two images. The story map provides no option for adjusting the images after placement
which added to the frustration of the situation. Otherwise, at face value, it sounds like a fun tool
to make an easy comparison.
5) Express Maps (See Appendix C)
Admittedly, I did not expect too much from Express Maps before trying it out. By the
sound of it, an Express Map sounded imprecise and messy. Once using the feature though, I
immediately shifted sides. ESRI markets it as a way for anyone with any level of mapping
experience to make a map.
47
Upon quickly whipping up my own Express Map, the process was
everything they marketed to be, as the toolbar was simple, straightforward, and intuitive. (Figure
4.2) I wanted a quick map of the Arroyo Seco Parkway without having to draw my own in Arc
Maps. I also didn’t want to have to find a highway map and isolate the small portion of the 110
Freeway that I found relevant. Again, neither of these options are dreadfully prohibitive to the
process, but a bit cumbersome at most. The Express Map solved my trivial predicament.

Figure 4.2 Express map option bar. Screenshot by author.
The application provides a select few commands to manipulate the map. I quickly traced
over the Arroyo Seco Parkway from Glenarm Street in Pasadena where it starts down to College
Street in Chinatown in Los Angeles with the freehand tool. I easily edited my tracings, and the
ends of segments snapped together. I placed a push pin at each of the termini by searching by
location. It took less than 5 minutes total to produce a clear, direct map depicting the route of the
Arroyo Seco Parkway. I imagine it working equally as well in a variety of other situations
concerning documentation and cultural landscapes. I consider Express Maps a great addition to
the StoryMaps template.

47
Will Hackney, “Use Express Maps to Help Tell Your Story,” ArcGIS StoryMaps, accessed December 2, 2020,
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/3dac3a051c2e40929a327619315d44d1.
42

Formatting and Details
Oftentimes the small details make or break an experience, particularly with technological
issues. There are several small instances of this while working with ArcGIS StoryMaps, in
addition to the ones I’ve already mentioned. First off, after highlighting text and inserting a link,
the link is no longer active. After hovering, a textbox does pop up with the website address, but
the web address displayed is not active. There is no way to just to click the link to the website
while still in editing mode. Even highlighting the text again in an attempt to copy and paste the
link into a browser doesn’t work. This makes checking references and fixing broken links
cumbersome.
Another problem is the lack of accommodation of an undo option. As I tried out different
options and effects in a platform unfamiliar to me, I repeatedly found myself reaching for the
control + Z option (or any on screen equivalent), but to no avail. With the widespread
accommodation of undo on most programs, this turned out to be a bigger sticking point than I
would have anticipated when encountering a program where it didn’t work. Plus, ArcGIS
StoryMaps automatically saves, so I can’t exit or refresh the page as a workaround if I tried
something particularly destructive I wanted to undo. Another detail affecting my interaction with
the platform was the way that the screen didn’t adjust to show what/where I was writing.
Particularly for the sidecar display option, the text was large enough that if I had a small
paragraph on the screen, kept it visible for reference as I continued to write, and wrote past the
bottom of the screen, the view didn’t adapt to show the caret. None of these are dramatic flaws to
the system, but the small oversights do affect user interface with the storymaps program.
If everything worked properly, it would be easy to ignore the small details from the user
end, but the snags are very apparent and affect ease of use. With the amount and frequency of
updates, it seems they should eliminate these hiccups soon, but it the meantime it’s something I
notice. I take most of these as evidence that it simply hasn’t been around for long, compared to
many other programs I’m accustomed to using. In fact, the main parts of making a story map
work really well, which only sets apart these idiosyncrasies even more to make them worth
mentioning.
43

Storymaps as a Documentation Tool
It is clear that I caught ESRI in the middle of developing their StoryMaps platform.
While not yet completely smooth and errorless, I do believe the platform is equipped to
document landscapes. It provides an open-format method for communicating history, narrative,
location, images, plus other media, and connecting them all together for a cohesive account.
While storymaps are not yet in widespread use for this specific purpose, they have the potential
to link to almost any technological media to document the significance of a landscape. Whether
through images or experiential videos or artful prose, a storymap can make a landscape
accessible via the internet. And at its simplest, that is what documentation is for. In the case of
storymaps, these inventories, reports, and GIS data aren’t just for professional determination of
significance, but also for education. Storymaps, because publicly accessible through the internet,
straddle the line between interpretation and documentation. Anyone can explore the information
and story behind a landscape just as they would explore a landscape itself.
Flexibility and adaptability are the best part of using digital storymaps to document
landscapes. Landscapes provide a unique challenge in documentation because of their evolution,
growth, seasonality, etc. Landscape documentarians usually can only freeze a landscape at one
point in time when using traditional documenting methods. Storymaps, unlike a submitted report,
accommodate changes and additions over time. This is particularly important in times where
landscapes face change not just through predicted changes like seasonality or basic growth, but
climate change, severe weather events, floods, and fires. A storymap can include not just a
maintenance plan, but a polished report of treatments. It can tell a story up to the present
moment. For a living landscape, an adaptable documentation method like a storymap seems
especially useful.
Does it work?
The ArcGIS StoryMap does serve as a suitable place to document cultural landscapes.
With the very nature of landscapes as dynamic, living sites, it is only right that conservationists
use a method able to reflect and document those qualities. Unlike a static report, storymaps have
the capabilities to shift and evolve with the landscape and more closely and accurately document
change over time.
44

Conservationists do need a clear goal in mind going into the storymaking process.
Because storymaps are such dynamic application with a variety of uses, setting an objective can
be an invaluable part of the story making process. Classic documentation is possible. A storymap
can serve as a digital version of a HALS report or a Cultural Landscape Inventory. Stewards of
cultural landscapes can also use story maps as an information platform to disseminate
information, a marketing tool to promote their site, or perhaps a interpretative tool to accompany
visitors to the park.
In the case of any documentation pursuit, not just digital storymaps, defining a boundary
of a landscape is important. The boundary determines what will and will not be included in the
documentation process, but also the depth that the documentarian storyteller can achieve.
Because a storymap is digital, it is possible to document a large site and go in depth, as the
application does not limit you, but readability decreases with length in the new format of ArcGIS
StoryMaps. It is a living document and endlessly editable, so it remains a possibility, though
again prior to starting, story map creators should decide the purpose of the story map and move
toward that goal before attempting to compile all subject matter tangentially related to their
cultural landscape. In the case of the Arroyo Seco, it certainly would be possible to continue to
add information as the breadth and depth of Arroyo related topics are seemingly endless. My
approach, with the expansive landscape that it is, veered more toward a broad understanding of
the landscape generally. Depending on the timeframe, in general the depth of information is
proportional to the size of the cultural landscape. A smaller landscape can allow a deep dive into
the detailed past of the site.
Storytelling versus Documentation
Storytelling and documentation go hand in hand and the power of each is enhanced by
the other. While one aspect of documentation is storytelling in the form of a historical context
statement, which puts the resource into a historic framework. The name of the platform suggests
it be used for storytelling, but its power doesn’t stop, or even start, there. Surely, like any
published website or media platform, a stylized design with professional, well-lit photographs
might garner more attention. However, that’s not always the goal of documentation.
Documentation might also include primary resources, like newspaper articles, building
permits, and any wide variety of data sets. While they are an important aspect of documenting a
45

cultural landscape, while trying to tell an engaging story, the extra information is unnecessary
and perhaps a bit dry depending on the audience. When using StoryMaps as an advocacy tool to
appeal to the general public, a flashy display might fit well, and primary sources will remain as
links to the main webpage. However, when performing more technical documentation or to
address certain documentation standards, these primary resources are important and deserve
more conspicuous placement.
When approaching StoryMaps, as mentioned before, it’s important to keep goals in mind.
Will the StoryMap tell a story or will it document? While it can do both simultaneously and
include everything, knowing the audience would determine what goes on display. Documenting
and storytelling go well together, and StoryMaps can serve both needs with a discerning curator
as author.
Other Issues to Consider
Indications for Similar Platforms
While this thesis was about ArcGIS StoryMaps specifically, there are several other
options to present information in a non-linear format. Keeping in mind how technology can
proliferate, we can expect that the popularity of user-friendly, media rich online platforms will
continue to grow. We’ve already had platforms like Prezi to present information in a way to
promote connections between ideas. Within universities too there are platforms that encourage
the same interconnected thinking. A platform called Scalar engages readers in a parallel manner
by incorporating multi-media into a longform web-authoring online publishing tool, this time
targeted at publishing scholarly material.
48

Self-Publishing Gives Everyone a Platform
Story maps, as they are self-publishing, give a voice to the voiceless. Any marginalized,
disenfranchised, or underrepresented community can have the chance to document a building,
structure, or cultural landscape important to them and their community. Even in the context of
the present-day Arroyo Seco, we continue to have to tell tough stories. The Devil’s Gate
Reservoir Restoration Project by the Los Angeles County Public Works would remove sediment

48
“Alliance for Networking Visual Culture,” accessed November 4, 2020, https://scalar.me/anvc/.
46

from behind the Devils’ Gate Dam to help increase water capacity of the dam.
49
Two non-profit
groups, the Pasadena Audubon Society and the Arroyo Seco Foundation, joined together to help
protect the area from the invasive dig. A settlement was reached in July 2020.
50
In order to
publicize their point of view, the Pasadena Audubon Society and Arroyo Seco Foundation did
have a website, but having a single clear place to tell the story of the Hahamongna Park and
Reservoir’s natural history would be helpful, especially in the event that something like this
happens again.
51
Others can still defend the need to remove sediment in a storymap of their own
documenting Arroyo Seco flooding. Community groups could document the site through the lens
of their community.
A story map gives a voice to everyone, to an extent. Ideally, a reader might want to
contribute to an existing storymap rather than make their own. At the moment, the platform
doesn’t allow for dialogue between the author and reader, though it sounds like an option Esri
might want to consider in later versions. The creator or creators of the storymap remain the sole
editors over time. However, in documenting cultural landscapes, some characteristics are open to
discussion, like cultural traditions, whereas others, like natural systems and features or
vegetation might be better left to geologists and botanists. An option to embed a crowd-sourcing
platform could provide some solutions, but at the present moment, the closest possibility is to
link to other websites which do have these options, like iNaturalist for sharing wildlife sightings
and ecological data.
Story maps are also great for intangible heritage.
52
Heritage that is not defined by a
physical object can easily take form and live on through a story map. Story maps are
nonprescriptive and are flexible in the form they take. Though images may mean more visual
engagement, a story map can still document folklore with pictures. It can document languages
through videos and audio clips, with ample opportunity for captions, explanations, and
translations. Story maps accommodate written descriptions and narrative to document intangible

49
“Devil’s Gate Reservoir Restoration Project,” Public Works Los Angeles County, December 10, 2020,
https://pw.lacounty.gov/swe/devilsgate/.
50
Andre Coleman, “County Approves Local ‘Big Dig’ Settlement – Pasadena Now,” Pasadena Now, July 7, 2020,
https://www.pasadenanow.com/main/board-of-supervisors-approves-local-big-dig-settlement/.
51
“Save Hahamongna,” accessed December 7, 2020, https://savehahamongna.org/.
52
“UNESCO - Text of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage,” accessed
December 20, 2020, https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention.
47

heritage that may not have another media type to capture it. Alternatively, any information
associated with a previously undocumented ritual (or other intangible heritage) can then collect
in one shared space. An online application gives people with intangible heritage a platform to
share on equal footing with buildings and landscapes. Anyone with internet access can then
access that knowledge of intangible heritage.
Cons of Self-Publishing
While storymaps are accessible anywhere you access the internet, readers will not find
storymap by accident. Searching and finding stories through ArcGIS StoryMaps is deliberate, as
ArcGIS StoryMaps aren’t always able to be searched from the internet at large. Google and other
search tools dominate the internet and, in many ways, decide the conversations the world has
around certain subjects. This narrows the audiences and the reach of these stories for self-
publishers that want to disseminate their stories far and wide.
Just like anything self -published on the internet, whether it be social media or open-
source informational websites, sources must be verified, and viewers are wise to approach with a
small dose of skepticism. A site that works with scholars exclusively helps eliminate some of
that skepticism. With ArcGIS StoryMaps, and other sites that publish presentations, the material
may not get fact checked. With documenting cultural landscapes, it’s important to verify that
creators are credible on their particular subject, have done the appropriate research, and are
qualified to speak on behalf of a particular group. However, a large benefit of ArcGIS
StoryMaps over other publishing opportunities is the versatility of the embedded maps. Other
platforms don’t feature interactive maps. If they do, like Scalar, it’s a Google Map with
pushpins. The analysis, engagement, and visual presentation isn’t quite as dynamic as it is for
any application associated with ArcGIS and Esri.
The more these kinds of opportunities become easily and publicly accessible, the need for
standardization grows. Digitalization can recreate impressive experiences, but that same
technology is subject to edits and tampering. Guidelines adapt with the times, ensuring they
address each new method. For instance, HABS 1935 Guidelines about photography vary greatly
compared to the most recently published 2020 guidelines.
53
1935 HABS talks about cloth

53
HABS was selected instead of HALS in this instance because HALS was only established in 2000. The eighty-
five year difference in technology with HABS makes the difference in technology much more apparent.
48

backgrounds to capture detail and discusses only the most fundamental aspects of photography.
The 2020 Guidelines on HABS, HAER, and HALS photography touches upon aerial
photography and includes an appendix on digital print cards.
54
Several factors make ArcGIS
StoryMaps, or any story map type application, different than typical documentation that may
require guidance. A story map is self-published, digitally stored, living document. With any new
developments, some oversight is required, and it’s remains true in this case as well.
The 1935 HABS Guidelines also state that “Clearness of detail and truthfulness of record
are most important.”
55
This remains true all these years later, and having guidelines and
standards helps ensure that this remains the case. This is among the most important values to
strive for during documentation. Storymaps can include extensive detail, especially with features
like slideshow, and have no length restrictions. For some kinds of documentation methods that
could span several pages, this might be very useful.
Looking Forward
The progress of technology snowballs. In an attempt to document cultural landscapes or
any other site, building, structure, et cetera, documentarians, researchers, and historians rely on
having a consistent, steadfast method of documentation and retrieval. Moreso than anyone
historians are aware of the ephemeral nature of time and trends. With technology and the
internet, companies frequently update apps and websites to improve and stay relevant. In a blog
post announcing the update, they say “As excited as we are about this release, in many ways it’s
just the beginning. We have plans for lots of new functionalities, and we’ll be making frequent
updates.”
56
Our capitalist society expects companies to move forward and strive for more. It
shows continued responsibility of the apps they produce. The ongoing support they offers for
their applications is admirable, but frustrating for anyone looking for consistency or a
streamlined approach.

54
“Heritage Documentation Programs: HABS/HAER/HALS Photography Guidelines” (National Park Service, June
2015), https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/PhotoGuidelines.pdf.
55
“Specifications for the Measurement and Recording of Historic American Buildings and Structural Remains”
(United States Department of the Interior, November 1935), https://www.nps.gov/hdp/standards/1935guidelines.pdf.
56
Allen Carroll and Prasad Sathya, “The New ArcGIS StoryMaps Has Arrived, Marking a New Era in Digital
Storytelling,” ArcGIS Blog (blog), July 3, 2019, https://www.esri.com/arcgis-blog/products/arcgis-
storymaps/mapping/arcgis-storymaps-has-arrived/.
49

The classic story map app will not be updated or offered support past 2024. ESRI insists
that these classic story maps will still be available, but surely the lack of updates makes a
difference in how these stories are told and shared. Available does not always equate with easily
accessible, and the links along with the stories they tell will quickly go the way of Neopets and
Myspace.
57
Though their links might still operate doesn’t mean that they are posted or shared the
way the latest update might be. Plus, each of the apps is searchable separately. Searching through
countless applications will become needlessly cumbersome, especially when both are under the
same mother company.
Overall, the benefits of StoryMaps far outweigh any cons for purposes of advocacy and
education. It is digitized and saved online for longevity. For accessibility, it’s easily navigable
and quite intuitive for public use. It works well as learning and entertainment tools, as it is
exploratory, navigable, and non-linear. Looking towards the future, it incorporates media
impossible to capture on paper, like videos, interactive maps, links, and virtual tours. It’s
impossible to predict what the future of documentation might look like, but certainly this seems
like a step in the right direction. It’s versatile enough to fit a variety of documentation needs, but
also fits the needs for other needs relating to treatment options. If media can accurately recreate
an experience in a landscape, this means it is also an accurate documentation tool. Self-
publishing, media-rich platforms are ideal for documenting landscapes, but users and
information do need verification.
However, the risks remain too large to depend on storymaps as the sole place to save
documents. Publishing a storymap means compiling of other sources, and trusting the many links
will stay active over time. This source of documentation relies heavily on the long-term
resilience of primary source links and the organization posting them. When I publish my story on
the Arroyo Seco, I trust that those websites, website URLs and the content on those webpages
will remain. In fact, the whole concept of documentation relies on it, at the unknowing discretion
of those maintaining those linked websites. Downloading each individual primary document and
uploading it back onto a storymap would take enormous time, effort and digital storage,
increasing the hurdles and reducing the accessibility for creators; however, it would better ensure

57
Neopets was a website allowing users to take care of virtual pets, popular in the early 2000s. Around the same
time, MySpace was one of the first widely used social media platforms. Both are still accessible with valid logins
but are not nearly as popular in 2020 as they once were more than a decade ago.
50

the longevity and reliability of the storymap and its ability to document for any length of time
even close to the 500 years that the Library of Congress does. Plus, having each of those primary
documents uploaded means an unentertaining scroll, reducing readability for casual visitors. If
documentation of a cultural landscape, and therefore the possibility of reconstruction of a
cultural landscape in the event of a natural disaster or other threat, hinges on links staying active,
chances of links being active are small, and the chances of losing the landscape tremendous.
While storymaps are useful for all of the reasons I’ve stated, I do believe that there are truer,
safer methods to document landscapes in the long term, and keep storymaps more for
educational and advocational purposes of documentation.

51

Conclusion

Documenting landscapes is an integral part of preserving landscapes. Natural flux is an
expected part of landscapes, so separating the difference between gradual, organic change and
drastic upheavals can help manage landscapes over time. Even the healthiest, most protected
landscapes will change, as the idea is usually not to simply freeze a place in time. Documentation
methods like HALS, Cultural Landscape Reports, Cultural Landscape Inventories, and GIS are
great existing tools, but technology has encouraged methods beyond words on paper.
Like most research projects, this thesis is only a launching point. Many other topics and
research questions arose while writing my thesis. Shifts in technology and culture are impossible
to predict, but each of those new technologies should be evaluated for their own effectiveness as
a documentation or storytelling method. Just as the storymaps of today can incorporate videos
and virtual tours, future storymaps or documentation methods should be able to integrate the
media of that time. It is important to actively develop landscape documentation methods rather
than passively reacting to new software launches. Future projects could explore the
characteristics of an effective landscape documentation method and deliberately design a
platform to serve that specific purpose. Judging a platform after its launch in some ways feels
like trying to adapt our existing documentation methods into the features that Esri provided.
With so much conservation work being reactionary in the first place, documentation is a prime
area to make advances.
Using the software and its interface can sometimes end up being the easy part, as editing
and curating a cohesive, engaging story is the true hurdle. Of course it is not Esri’s responsibility
to help with the process of storytelling and editing, but ArcGIS StoryMap storytellers are only as
powerful as the tools and features that Esri provides. More than knowing about the specific
features, it boils down to whether this is a useful tool for a specific project. While this thesis
parses the user accessibility for the documentation of the Arroyo Seco, the unlimited other
options for storymaps should each be considered, as storymaps might help tell some stories
clearly but muddle others. A low threshold for entry may mean content is not vetted before
publishing.
52

Not just technologies themselves, like specific hardwares and softwares, but the state of
the internet in the future will influence documentation. The research and information collected
about the Arroyo Seco on my own project depends on the long term stability of the internet.
HALS, HABS and HAERS all require durability for 500 years. While impossible to think of in
modern times when our world revolves around the life on the internet, no one can guarantee the
staying power of the internet, and, by extension, anything saved there. This means that any of the
storymaps or other documentation online are not completely secure. At the speed that technology
moves, and the directions it takes, the function of the internet or staying-power of the internet is
yet to be determined. And even if everything continues to work as we know it today, there are
other companies that serve as gatekeepers to the cultural landscape documentation. What will
happen to the published information if something happens to Esri? How will someone find a
specific cultural landscape storymap without a reliable search engine? An impossible to find
storymap is useless.
Cultural landscapes face threats to their existence every day. Documentation will not
solve those problems, but it is one of the most active ways that preservationists can actively
contribute to the perpetuation of cultural landscapes. There is no substituting a visit to a cultural
landscape, as even the best virtual reality experience cannot completely reproduce a cultural
landscape. Immersive experiences help foster stewards of the future to continue the advocacy of
a place. Community members should continue to identify their local cultural landscapes worthy
of documentation. Having the community direct the conversations about their cultural heritage is
a powerful movement that sadly is not widely practiced yet.
Even with the best method of cultural landscape documentation, we can continue with the
advocacy and education that accessible storymaps help with. The accessibility is one of the
storymaps main strengths and should be capitalized upon by conservationists and
preservationists. The work is not over once a landscape is documented, but it serves as a
powerful tool in helping achieve the ultimate goal of sustaining landscape for future generations.

53

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Appendix A

The most updated StoryMap can be found at
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/7bfb9989f7844a67a55d79f51ee35648.

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Appendix B
The most updated StoryMap can be found at
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/dd550792504a4ee291863f9765f70f86.

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Appendix C

The most updated StoryMap can be found at
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/821c3ff44c6e4406a6614fa17f56089a.

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Abstract (if available)

Abstract Documentation of historic resources is an important step to help ensure significant characteristics are recorded, so they could be used for research, interpretation, and conservation. Documenting a cultural landscape can prove daunting with the layers of historic, ecological, and cultural significance. Creating an inventory, drawing as-built plans, and recording materialities provide basic documentation, but ultimately the resulting documentation can become a much more immersive experience with the right tools. In this thesis, I use the ArcGIS StoryMaps as a method of documenting landscapes, using the Arroyo Seco, a tributary of the Los Angeles River, as a case study. The case study, a conglomeration of landscapes in itself, will test the effectiveness of a self-published, digital landscape documentation tool and evaluate its ability to capture the Arroyo’s complex historic, cultural, ecological and political interplays. The feasibility of platforms like ArcGIS StoryMaps to encompass the experience of a complex landscape can have new implications for helping communities document their own cultural resources first-hand.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Spinella, Marisa (author)

Core Title Capturing the layers of the Arroyo Seco landscape: documenting a cultural landscape using digital storymaps

School School of Architecture

Degree Master of Heritage Conservation

Degree Program Heritage Conservation

Publication Date 03/08/2021

Defense Date 03/06/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Arroyo Seco,cultural landscape,cultural resource documentation,digital documentation,Documentation,Heritage Conservation,Historic Preservation,Landscape,OAI-PMH Harvest,storymap

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Sandmeier, Trudi (committee chair), Robinson, Alexander (committee member), Tichenor, Brian (committee member)

Creator Email mspinell@usc.edu,spinrmar@yahoo.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-426740

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Legacy Identifier etd-SpinellaMa-9307.pdf

Dmrecord 426740

Document Type Thesis

Rights Spinella, Marisa

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA