URBAN / SUBURBAN
NATIONAL
DATA VISUALIZATION
ON-GOING
Population metrics based on municipal boundaries tend to paint an incomplete portrait of a city, as boundary extents can wildly vary city to city. To understand the effective population mass of cities around the country, we compare the populations through 1 mile radial circles from the downtown center to the outskirts. Many show a populous inner core while others are doughnuts. How does this impact the urbanism of these cities and their downtowns?
Even more telling is the change in population over the last 20 years. Are American cities urbanizing or suburbanizing? We used this methodology to analyze mid-sized cities across the country to compare and understand how their urban fabrics are changing.