Analyzing Participation in Open Streets PGH

Background

Open Streets PGH, organized by BikePGH, temporarily transforms Pittsburgh’s roads into vibrant, car-free spaces, showcasing the city’s potential for active transportation and pedestrian-friendly urban life. To amplify the impact and inclusivity of future events, BikePGH aimed to deeply understand attendee demographics, participation patterns, and behavioral trends.

Project Details

In collaboration with BikePGH, the SUDS team undertook an extensive analysis of survey data collected from Open Streets PGH participants. The analysis focused on uncovering critical demographic insights and geographic attendance patterns, aiming to inform and optimize BikePGH’s outreach and engagement strategies. Specifically, the team:

• Analyzed how demographic factors such as race, income, and age relate to frequency of attendance and preferred event activities.
• Identified participation trends differentiating walking versus biking preferences among diverse demographic groups.
• Created geographic heatmaps based on attendee zip codes, clearly visualizing areas of strong participation and highlighting underserved neighborhoods.
• Evaluated existing data collection methodologies and recommended enhancements to ensure richer, more actionable data from future events.

Deliverables

• Interactive Data Visualizations: User-friendly dashboards highlighting demographic participation insights and behavioral trends.
• Geographic Heatmaps: Detailed visualizations illustrating attendee concentration across Pittsburgh zip codes, aiding targeted outreach.
• Comprehensive Analysis Report: Documented insights, demographic analyses, and clear recommendations for event optimization and community engagement strategies.
• Data Collection Improvements: Actionable recommendations for refining future survey methodologies to capture more comprehensive attendee data.

Outcomes

The insights provided by the project enabled BikePGH to significantly enhance the inclusivity and effectiveness of their community engagement and outreach initiatives. Improved understanding of attendance patterns allowed for strategic planning of event locations, targeted promotions to underserved areas, and customized activities to better cater to diverse participant preferences. Ultimately, this work contributed directly to BikePGH’s mission of making Pittsburgh more pedestrian and bike-friendly, fostering stronger community involvement and increased participation in future Open Streets events.