Project by Francesca Michielli, Dajin Wang, Aishwarya Warad
This project explores how small businesses contribute to New York City’s communities through spatial analysis, demographic mapping, and interviews with business owners. Using data from the NYC Department of Small Business Services and the U.S. Census Bureau, the project identifies patterns in the geographic distribution, ownership, and characteristics of small businesses across the five boroughs. The analysis suggests that the race and ethnicity of business owners often align with the demographic composition of surrounding neighborhoods, though these relationships vary across the city. Interviews with long-standing small business owners complement the quantitative analysis by highlighting lived experiences, neighborhood relationships, institutional barriers, and concerns about rising costs and commercial change. The project concludes with an interactive map that allows users to explore business locations, demographic layers, and neighborhood patterns throughout New York City.
You can access the project here: https://fmichielli.github.io/methodsfinalproject/
