Híbridos Collective is a collaboration of Queens based artists and advocates concerned about community issues that use arts and media to explore community change. They are using mapmaking as a language to identify issues that need visibility as well as highlight the things that make exploring Queens seem like a journey through the world. The project also aims to consolidate community resources for long-time residents, newcomers and visitors alike to experience, explore and celebrate local life by engaging people of different ages and backgrounds.

The Queens DiverCity* mapping project began as an effort to trace the many different paths, stories, and lives that coexist and thrive in one of the most diverse places in the world. The first attempt focuses on a pilot phase to identify major points of interest in terms of cultural, social, natural and economic significance, starting in the Jackson Heights neighborhood and surrounding areas.

In 2010, the collective partnered with the Queens Council on the Arts to create a map tailored for the Queens Art Express, a four-day festival celebrating the diverse communities of arts, culture, and local business along the route of the 7 train.

Híbridos Collective currently seeks partners, funders, sponsors and friends to create more projects that involve community residents in mapmaking as a mechanism to build a more livable. The Collective plans to publish maps in different formats, including digital, print and online media in order to reach a diverse audience.

*Its working definition of diversity is connected not only to race, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, sexual orientation but also related to ideologies, experiences, perspectives and urban environments.