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This project dives into the link between MTA delays, local income levels, and racial demographics across NYC. Using the Python MTA Utilities API to analyze travel times and geo-location data, we uncovered a pretty clear trend: stations with the most delays tend to be in lower-income neighborhoods. It’s a big deal because it brings up questions about fairness and whether public transit is actually serving everyone equally.
The goal here is to figure out where MTA delays hit the hardest and who’s affected the most. We’re mapping out the connections between station locations, local demographics, and train delays to highlight the areas where transit could do better.
- Interactive Web Interface: We originally built this with Flask and Streamlit for easy exploration of the data, but now we’re stepping it up with a React.js front end and Go backend.
- Decentralized Hosting: We’re moving to IPFS for better scalability and accessibility.
- Race and Income Map: A visual tool that overlays train delays with demographic and neighborhood data.
- Race Demographics Pie Chart: A clean way to show the racial breakdown of areas impacted by delays.
- Local Area Delay Analysis: A deeper look into how delays vary by neighborhood and what that means for residents.
- Python (for the initial build)
- Flask
- Pandas
- GeoPandas
- React.js (current rebuild)
- Go (current backend)
- IPFS (for hosting)
- Python 3.9.10+
- Git
Grab the project files with:
git clone https://github.com/ByteFource/Is-The-MTA-Racist.git
cd Is-The-MTA-Racist-
Go to the project folder:
cd your-repo -
Set up a virtual environment:
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On Windows:
py -m venv env
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On macOS/Linux:
python3 -m venv env
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Activate the virtual environment:
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On Windows:
env\Scripts\activate
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On macOS/Linux:
source env/bin/activate
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With the virtual environment running, install what you need:
pip install -r requirements.txtFire up the app:
flask runor for debug mode:
flask run --debugCheck it out at http://127.0.0.1:5000/.
Pro Tip: If you add new dependencies, don’t forget to update the requirements:
pip freeze > requirements.txtOur analysis showed a strong link between lower-income zip codes and higher train delay rates. It’s a wake-up call for how public transit needs to better serve these areas and close the equity gap.
Details coming soon.
We’re a team passionate about tech and data, using this project to shine a light on social equity issues. The new version of this project will be faster, scalable, and more accessible for everyone.