50 Best Websites 2007

The latest project from University of North Carolina students studying documentary multimedia storytelling, White City Stories offers an in-depth look at the history and culture of Arequipa, Peru, a sister city of Charlotte. Video footage includes day-in-the-life style coverage of locals, like the guy who raises fighting bulls (see "Head to Head Combat" in the Traditional Ties section) and the solo miner who scours the hills for copper and gold (see "Relationship to the Land"). Interactive maps add to the rich sense of place — roll over a landmark building and up pops a 360-degree panoramic interior view. The site is a joint project by students at UNC and Arequipa's own Universidad Catolica de Santa Maria. Another great site that takes you deep inside a very specific location: Gods of Chinatown, an interactive guide to the New York City neighborhood created by digital artist Isabel Chang.