In connection with our research, the Center for Spatial Research and project collaborators have developed tutorials in critical mapping and data visualization. Tutorials are crafted to provide the technical expertise necessary for critically-minded spatial research across a broad range of disciplines. This growing library is designed to be a resource for students, faculty, and practitioners engaging in spatial research at Columbia University and beyond. 

Thank you to the core group of workshop speakers: Alison Killing, Ana Paulina Lee, Beth Coleman, Bobby Pietrusko, Catherine D'ignazio, Dan Miller, Ezekiel Dixon-Roman, Guangyu (Tim) Wu, Jamon Van Den Hoek, Jia Zhang, Lucia Rebclino, Maksym Rokmaniko, Mitch McEwen, Mona Fawaz, Nicholas Masterton, Sasha Engelmann, Sophie Dyer, Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, and Yanni Loukissas. Please see the link here for workshop contributors' bios.

Workshop Organizers: Laura Kurgan and Adeline Chum

Over the summer of 2020, researchers at the CSR investigated patterns in the distribution of COVID-19 while critically questioning the role of mapping and data visualization in understanding the pandemic. The research sought to match the COVID-19 count data at the county level with various other datasets to spatially explore patterns and trends in the spread of the virus across multiple scales.

In this paper, we used multiple datasets to explore taxicab fare payments by neighborhood and examine how paid taxicab fares are associated with use of conventional banking services. There are clear spatial dimensions of the propensity of riders to pay cash, and we found that both immigrant status and being “unbanked” are strong predictors of cash transactions. These results have implications for local regulations of the for-hire vehicle industry, particularly in the context of the rapid growth of services that require credit cards to use.