The primary goal of this project was to explore the relationship between sunlight exposure and rental prices in neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Park, New York City. It stands as a unique attempt to visualize how urban design and the quest for sunlight affect the cost of living in a dense urban environment.
This exploration serves as an initial look into the relationship between sunlight exposure and rental prices. While it might be intuitively believed that more sunlight correlates with higher rent, this project presents a more nuanced picture. The interplay between sunlight exposure, rental prices, and affordability in terms of per capita and median household income varies across different neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Park. It hints at the possibility of deeper, more complex dynamics at play that influence how sunlight - a desired amenity in urban living - is valued in the rental market of New York City.
The data was collected from apartment listings available on Localize.city during Summer 2023, focusing primarily on studio and one-bedroom apartments. The key attributes considered were rent, sunlight exposure, and living arrangements. For a more detailed look at the data collection process, please follow this link.
The data analysis process involved cleaning, organizing, and visualizing the gathered apartment listing data. The resulting visualization provides an interactive exploration of how sunlight exposure and rent interact across the analyzed neighborhoods. For an in-depth overview of the data analysis process, please follow this link.
A significant source of inspiration for this project's design was the Washington Post's "Scaling Everest" interactive piece. I was captivated by the way it used a vertical scrolling mechanism to depict the journey of climbing Mount Everest, effectively illustrating the narrative's progression with an engaging and innovative layout.
I sought to capture a similar sense of journey in my own project, transforming the act of scrolling into an ascent through a skyscraper and providing readers with a unique and intuitive way to navigate through story.
The challenges faced in the implementation process only enhanced my appreciation for the level of complexity and creativity involved in creating such immersive, interactive experiences. It has opened my eyes to the infinite possibilities of storytelling with data and further fueled my passion for the intersection of design and data analysis.
Throughout this project, I stretched my technical abilities and learned new tools to bring my vision to life. I used AI2HTML, which was an entirely new tool for me. It allowed me to convert my Illustrator graphics into HTML and CSS, enabling a more interactive and responsive design.
In terms of design, Illustrator was a key software I used to visually communicate my findings. I've significantly expanded my design capabilities while working on this project, from creating compelling visuals to fine-tuning the intricate details that make a design feel polished and professional. There's still a lot of room for growth here though.
In terms of CSS, this project provided an opportunity for me to delve deeper and explore more sophisticated techniques. I've sharpened my skills in creating and managing layouts and developed an appreciation for web development.
One of the challenges I faced was integrating Scrollama into my project. While I was not able to successfully implement it due to time constraints, the attempt was a valuable learning experience. It gave me insight into the complexities of scroll-driven interactivity, and it's a challenge I'm keen to conquer in my future projects.
If given more time (projects are completed within 2-weeks), it would be worthwhile to extend the analysis to other parts of New York City and possibly other dense urban environments. There is also an opportunity to dig deeper into the multiple factors influencing rental prices.This could include looking at apartment features, building age, proximity to amenities, and other socio-economic factors.
Implementing Scrollama for a smoother and more dynamic scrolling experience is another aspect I would like to revisit in the future.
This project serves as a stepping stone to understanding the multifaceted issue of sunlight inequality in urban settings. I look forward to further investigating this topic, refining my methodologies, and using the skills I've acquired to shed more light on this intriguing urban phenomenon.