A GIS-based Change Analysis of Historical Demographic Patterns in Chicago, 1900 - 1940
Location
Lobby in front of Auditorium
Start Date
19-4-2019 11:00 AM
Department
Geography and Environmental Studies
Abstract
There 20th Century was characterized by rapid growth of racial and income segregation within urban areas. In order to better track these changes during the first half of the 20th Century, this study creates a geospatial databases of historic U.S. census data for the city of Chicago. Using restricted-access census microdata for the years 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 we map changes in enumeration district level demographics for each of these census years. This project will contribute to the literature on the historical evolution of urban social landscapes and issues of racial and economic segregation. The first step of this project involves georeferencing and digitizing historic 1940 enumeration district maps using ArcGIS. For consistency across the years of the study period, current Chicago parcel and street data obtained from the City of Chicago Data Portal are used as a frame to create the digitized map files. The historic maps are converted into spatial data files by matching and assigning the spatial location information from the streets and parcels files to the images. In conjunction with the parcels files, the georeferenced maps are used as guides to create digitized enumeration district map files. The second step involves aggregating individual demographic records up to the enumeration district level. This involves matching and joining geocoded census data spatially to the appropriate enumeration district map locations. Historic maps and aerial photographs and are used to confirm the accuracy of the modifications to the census information. Data from each of the five decennial census years (1900-1940) is aggregated and joined to the enumeration district maps producing five database files for analysis. The third step involves performing a pattern analysis and calculating spatial measures of geographic composition to compare demographic changes within the city over time. Specifically, the following demographic and socioeconomic indicators will be explored: income, races and ethnicities, housing value, and accessibility. Spatial statistics, e.g., Local Analysis of Spatial Association (LISA), will be used to measure the cluster/outlier of various socioeconomic variables (Anselin, 1995), which are of interest as indicators of emerging social dynamics. The results will illuminate patterns of demographic changes in the Chicago metropolitan region with a focus on racial and economic segregation.
A GIS-based Change Analysis of Historical Demographic Patterns in Chicago, 1900 - 1940
Lobby in front of Auditorium
There 20th Century was characterized by rapid growth of racial and income segregation within urban areas. In order to better track these changes during the first half of the 20th Century, this study creates a geospatial databases of historic U.S. census data for the city of Chicago. Using restricted-access census microdata for the years 1900, 1910, 1920, 1930, and 1940 we map changes in enumeration district level demographics for each of these census years. This project will contribute to the literature on the historical evolution of urban social landscapes and issues of racial and economic segregation. The first step of this project involves georeferencing and digitizing historic 1940 enumeration district maps using ArcGIS. For consistency across the years of the study period, current Chicago parcel and street data obtained from the City of Chicago Data Portal are used as a frame to create the digitized map files. The historic maps are converted into spatial data files by matching and assigning the spatial location information from the streets and parcels files to the images. In conjunction with the parcels files, the georeferenced maps are used as guides to create digitized enumeration district map files. The second step involves aggregating individual demographic records up to the enumeration district level. This involves matching and joining geocoded census data spatially to the appropriate enumeration district map locations. Historic maps and aerial photographs and are used to confirm the accuracy of the modifications to the census information. Data from each of the five decennial census years (1900-1940) is aggregated and joined to the enumeration district maps producing five database files for analysis. The third step involves performing a pattern analysis and calculating spatial measures of geographic composition to compare demographic changes within the city over time. Specifically, the following demographic and socioeconomic indicators will be explored: income, races and ethnicities, housing value, and accessibility. Spatial statistics, e.g., Local Analysis of Spatial Association (LISA), will be used to measure the cluster/outlier of various socioeconomic variables (Anselin, 1995), which are of interest as indicators of emerging social dynamics. The results will illuminate patterns of demographic changes in the Chicago metropolitan region with a focus on racial and economic segregation.
Comments
Ting Liu and Ryan Gallagher are the faculty sponsors of this poster.