Baristanet Baristanet's teardown map: yellow = teardowns, red = recent new construction on open space or extra lots, purple = historic buildings.

Montclair, NJ, isn't what it used to be, according to many longtime residents. In many older towns, the "teardown" phenomenon (tearing down older houses to build new ones, often in a very different style) is changing the face and character of neighborhoods.

Baristanet, a popular community site and citizen journalism venue that focuses on Montclair, NJ, has decided to track local teardowns. On Sept. 22, they launched their own Teardown Map -- a mashup of the Google Maps API and numerous teardown examples supplied by readers. (See the extensive comments under the map.)

Seems to me that perhaps this kind of tool might be further deepened and automated by using publicly available data from the local or county government on home sales. I haven't worked with that kind of data, but I know it exists and I've seen other real estate-focused mashups that use it.

This is a compelling project that could be emulated in any fast-changing community. In fact, Westport (CT) Now has been offering a similar teardown map, and a "Teardown of the Day" feature series.

More info on the teardown trends and maps, see the Oct. 1 New York Times: A Town's Architectural Shift, Chronicled Online.