About the Project
As a “city of neighborhoods”, much of Philadelphia’s culture has been established by long term residents. As the city has finally begun to see a population increase, attention has been focused on the influx of millennials and young families living in (or returning to) Philadelphia. However, less analysis has been completed to determine how these current trends have impacted (or will soon impact) the city’s elderly population.
Currently, Philadelphia ranks 12th in the nation among areas experiencing a boom in gentrification. Growth in Philadelphia has not been widespread and is limited mostly to only a few select neighborhoods, such as West, South and Lower North Philadelphia. Anecdotally, many have claimed that new development is displacing low-income and elderly residents, so this project seeks to examine what geographic patterns exists.
For the purpose of this analysis, individuals over 65 years of age will be classified as elderly. The project will highlight where concentrations of elderly people reside in the city (based off 2013 ACS estimates) and overlay locations of related resources, such as health centers and transportation.
Data Sources
The following data sources were used for this project:
- 2000 and 2010 US Census Data
- 2013 American Communities Survey
- Governing - Philadelphia Gentrification Maps
- Pew Research Center Survey on Aging and Longevity (2013)
- PCAC Development Without Displacement Report
This exercise is not affiliated with any of the data sources listed above.
Note: This project was completed as a part of the 2015 Open Source Mentorship Program - a collaborative summer program that gives women a crash course in open source and a chance to get hands-on project experience in civic tech.
