Visualising Urban Change and Symbolic Capital in London

geospatial
data viz
analysis
Published

September 16, 2024

Mapping of the transformation of London’s high streets in the wake of traffic-calming policies. Combined business listings, census data, and Voronoi clustering to explore how “symbolic capital” (boutiques, bakeries, galleries) concentrates in gentrifying zones.

Project outline

This project analyses the spatial relationship between Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) and “symbolic capital” retail in London (e.g. artisanal bakeries), using data from Companies House, OpenStreetMap, and income/demographic data from statistical agencies.

Key features:

  • GeoPandas and NetworkX for road-network analysis
  • Retail clustering and income-demographics overlays
  • Great example of urban data storytelling

📄 Read report (PDF)

💻 Read code (GitHub)

Media

Growth in potential demand (combining income and population change) has been unequal across London Boroughs.

Voronoi plot showing catchment areas for retail establishments (overlaid on total demand density change). Note the opportunity areas away from the main concentrations along the city’s arteries (e.g. Oxford Street).