Investigating Digital Redlining in Pittsburgh

Background

Access to high-speed internet is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for education, employment, and civic engagement. However, disparities in internet service provision, often termed “digital redlining,” disproportionately limit lower-income communities’ access to reliable, high-speed connections. In partnership with the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Innovation & Performance, our team set out to investigate these inequities across Pittsburgh neighborhoods. By collecting real-world data and analyzing it alongside demographic and economic factors, this project aimed to uncover evidence of digital redlining and advocate for fairer internet service provision.

Project Details

Our students collaborated closely with the City of Pittsburgh to design and execute a comprehensive investigation into internet access disparities. The team tackled this challenge with a multi-faceted approach, showcasing a blend of technical expertise, analytical rigor, and creative problem-solving. Key efforts included:

• Tool Development: Designed and deployed an open-source internet speed testing tool, enabling residents to contribute real-time data on their internet performance. This required proficiency in software development, user experience design, and open-source collaboration.
• Data Collection: Gathered user-submitted data on ISP performance, including download/upload speeds and geographic locations, creating a robust dataset for analysis.
• Data Analysis: Conducted statistical analyses to identify correlations between internet speeds, neighborhood locations, and socioeconomic indicators such as income and education levels, demonstrating advanced data science and critical thinking skills.
• Visualization: Crafted compelling visualizations—such as heatmaps and interactive dashboards—that highlighted potential instances of digital redlining, making complex findings accessible to city officials and the public.

These efforts leveraged tools like Python for data processing, GIS for spatial analysis, and Tableau for visualization, reflecting the technical versatility of our student team.

Deliverables

• Open-Source Speed Testing Tool: A publicly available tool that empowered Pittsburgh residents to contribute to the project while providing a scalable model for future use.
• Comprehensive Dataset: A cleaned and structured collection of ISP performance data tied to geographic and demographic variables.
• Interactive Visualizations: User-friendly dashboards and maps that visually pinpointed disparities in internet access across neighborhoods.
• Final Report: A detailed summary of findings, including evidence of digital redlining and actionable recommendations for improving digital equity, presented to the Department of Innovation & Performance.

Outcomes

The project delivered actionable insights that strengthened the City of Pittsburgh’s ability to advocate for equitable internet access. Our visualizations and analyses provided clear evidence of disparities, empowering city officials to hold ISPs accountable for delivering advertised speeds and to push for infrastructure improvements in underserved areas. The open-source tool and methodology developed by our students also laid the groundwork for ongoing monitoring of digital equity, demonstrating scalability and real-world impact.

By blending software development, data analysis, and visualization, our team showcased a diverse skill set that not only met the partner’s needs but also positioned Pittsburgh as a leader in addressing digital inequity. This work reflects our commitment to tackling complex challenges with innovative, data-driven solutions—skills that translate directly to the success of our clients’ projects.