Using GIS to Analyze the Development of Public Urban Green Spaces in Hamburg and Marseille (1945–1973)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a powerful tool for spatial analysis. In historical research GIS are used for mapping, georeferencing, and data analysis. Layering information offers new ways to evaluate historical data and construct arguments. But GIS offer a myriad of choices for data modeling and visualization, so users should remain critical and conscious of their entire workflow processes. In the following, I employ the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis framework to systematically evaluate the implications of using GIS in historical research. The development of public urban green spaces in Hamburg and Marseille from 1945 to 1973 serve as useful case studies. In drawing on my experience in employing GIS methods to analyze post-war green spaces, I discuss close and distant reading techniques applied to GIS models, potential implementation of AI with GIS methods, and the multiple ways to model spatial data and create historical narratives.The goal is to provoke critical thinking about when using GIS genuinely supports research beyond producing impressive visuals, how it aids hypotheses and arguments, and how it can change the way historians work with their sources and think about their data.