Visualizing Gentrification

Since the end of strictly-enforced rent control in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1995, costs of living in Cambridge have skyrocketed at rates remarked upon by a number of scholars, including David Autor (2014). This project is an attempt to make tangible, through data visualization and personalized narratives, the impact of that gentrification on the communities of Cambridge, specifically around the Red Line. We map the lived experience of impacted communities through eviction rates, between 1995 and 2021, the time of this writing, in order to create a coherent narrative experience of gentrification in these communities.

Scroll around with your mouse to explore different areas along the red line. Press the button next to the years in the key to toggle whether the data for that year is revealed. Click on different stops along the Red Line to travel to them.

Susanna Chen, Alison Lanier, Ethan Nevidomsky