Frequently asked questions about the Census

1. What is the Census?
2. Where can you see the Census?
3. Why should you contribute to the Census?
4. How do nominations get published in the Census?
5. Technical Tips at a Glance     

What is the Census?

The Census of Places that Matter is, first, a survey. It's a "ground-up" way of discovering what places matter and why they matter. The National Park Service suggests that communities discover the "location, character, and significance of cultural resources and the values people attribute to them." But other than Place Matters, few organizations are conducting these kinds of surveys.

We welcome your nominations for any kind of place in New York City that you feel has public importance. We also invite your comments on previous nominations made by others. You can nominate a place online or on paper. The only requirement is that you provide your name. (To receive a hard copy of the nomination form, contact us.)

Places nominated to the Census will be published online with your comments. In some cases we also do research and interviews to learn more about a place, and findings are written up in a Place Matters Profile. The Census is becoming a new knowledge bank about New York City that embraces the perspectives of different generations, cultures, ethnicities, histories, professional disciplines, and interests.

Where can you see the Census?

Census nominations can be viewed on this website. Use the Explorer to search for particular places or browse the whole list. Or see our expanding selection of Visits, Tours, and Expeditions. Click here to open the Census of Places that Matter in a new window.

A printed version of the Census is also available from Place Matters. Contact Us.

Why should you contribute to the Census?

By nominating your place to this inclusive, public list, you will be broadening the public record about meaningful places in New York City. We will learn more about your specific place, and through this process, who knows what we can learn about New York City, about what people call a "sense of place," and about the role of place in public life?

By educating the public about your place, you are also taking a step toward advocacy. You'll be in a better position to ask others for support if the place needs some kind of help. Also, journalists, writers, and others may learn about your place through the Census and help to make it more visible.

Nominations also may become the foundation for larger cultural or protection initiatives by Place Matters or others. Place Matters undertakes model projects that show how nominated places can translate into, say, a cultural heritage tour, or a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. We hope this website inspires others to do their own projects on behalf of places that matter.

How do nominations get published in the Census?

Nominations arrive to us largely through the website, mail, and public meetings. We encourage you to nominate places from the past or the present that are of importance to others in addition to yourself. Providing us with your name is the only requirement.

Because the Place Matters staff reviews nominations when they arrive, it may take up to three weeks to post your nomination on the website. Please contact us if you don't see your nomination posted within a few weeks of submitting it.

We do not currently post online nominations for places outside of New York City, but in the future may develop a mechanism for doing so.

Place Matters reserves the right to determine if a nomination is unsuitable for publication.

Technical Tips at a Glance

We built this website to accommodate users with low- and high-end computer systems. Even the most basic computers can access all of the project information labelled along the top navigation bar: about, programs, events, take action, and resources. To see the Tours, and to launch the Place Explorer, your computer will need just a few bells and whistles. If you are having trouble, we hope these tips will help.

System Requirements
If you are having trouble loading the PlaceExplorer, please make sure your computer meets the following minimum requirements.

Windows

• 600 MHz Intel Pentium III processor or equivalent
• Windows 98 SE (4.10.2222 A), Windows 2000, or Windows XP
• Screen resolution: 1024 by 768 or higher
• 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
• Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, Netscape 7.x, Mozilla 1.x, CompuServe 7, AOL 8, and Opera 7.11

Macintosh

• 500 MHz PowerPC G3 processor or above
• Mac OS 9.x and OS X 10.2.8 and later, 10.3.4
• 128 MB RAM (256 MB recommended)
• Screen resolution: 1024 by 768 or higher
• Browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.1, Netscape 4.8, Netscape 7.x, Mozilla 1.x, and Opera 6, Safari 1.x (Mac OS X)

Screen Resolution
If you are seeing only part of the PlaceExplorer, or have to scroll up and down to use it, your monitor is set too low. The PlaceExplorer requires a screen resolution of at least 1024 by 768. You may need to change the setting.

Windows: You can see if your computer will support a higher resolution by going to the Start Menu, Settings, then Control Panel, and opening the Display settings. Click the "Settings" tab on the top of that dialog box, then try to move the Screen Resolution slider until is says at least 1024 by 768. Changing this setting may render your screen illegible if it does not support higher settings, but Windows typically prompts you to restore the previous setting if things don't look right.

Mac: Go to the Control Panel (OS 9) or System Preferences (OS X) and adjust the resolution through the Display settings area.

Flash Software:
The PlaceExplorer requires the Macromedia Flash Player version 7 or above. To download a free version, go to the Macromedia player download page at http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer/.

The site will automatically detect your browser (Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, etc.) and direct you to the appropriate download page. The specific steps required to install the player vary for each browser version. They also change as a result of new browser security patches and practices. Please read through the Macromedia instructions thoroughly for the best results. In general, Internet Explorer users should be able to download and install the player without restarting their browsers. Netscape and Mozilla users will need to save the player to an easily accessible location on your computer, close the browser, double click the program to install it, and then follow its instructions. When the process is complete, visiting www.placematters.net should take you to the Flash version of the home page. Macromedia continually updates its supported browsers. Review the "Playback" requirements at their site for the latest information. 

Launching the Census:  
After downloading Flash, launch the PlaceExplorer. The Explorer will open up in a second window. It may take some time to load, depending on the speed of your connection. A broadband connection, such as DSL or cable, will help. It is a big database. 

Once the Explorer loads, you may switch back and forth between the two windows, so keep both windows open until you're finished. Use the PlaceExplorer to learn about and comment on listed places, and nominate your own. Return to the home page for more information about the Place Matters project.

Searching the PlaceExplorer:
For help using the various features of the PlaceExplorer, launch it, and click on links saying "help" or "?."