Steven Can Plan
Samples of my work using Geographic Information Systems software.
Articles
- Google Maps and Earth are GIS products
- How GIS helps earthquake relief efforts for Haiti
- Sharing data with KML
- Converting shapefiles and KML
Projects
- Finding potential new bike parking facility locations – The project uses data (bikeway network, land use, existing bike racks), GIS software, and reverse geocoding to identify specific locations at which bike parking could be installed. This PDF contains the five page paper explaining the project, methods, and tasks, an index of attachments, and attached sample maps and tables. Also included is a detailed procedures/task list that describes how to recreate the project.
Maps
![Quantity (frequency?) of workers bicycling to their jobs](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2471/3999908370_3b9935cc04_s.jpg "This map shows, with increasing color intensity, the number of workers who rode their bikes to their jobs in each Census Tract in Chicago.
<b>A darker color means more people rode their bikes to jobs in that Census tract than in a lighter colored Census tract</b>.
I chose to work on the Census Tract level for now (while testing the data and my GIS skills) because there it's faster (there are 25,000 Block Groups in Chicago and only 1,300 Census Tracts).
White means that no workers were recorded bicycling to jobs in that Census Tract.
This data comes from the Census Transportation Planning Package, which estimates the number of workers traveling to the Census Tract and by what means did they travel.
I think this took me 3 hours to make. I'm trying to develop a method to prioritize bicycle parking installation as part of my school project.
There are many ways to make a similar map with similar information: I could normalize the number of bicycling workers by the total number of workers in the tract to show which Census tract has the greatest share of workers arriving via bicycle (this would probably move some Census tracts to a lighter hue, like South Deering).
I could normalize the number of bicycling workers by the total area of the tract to show which Census tract has the greatest number of workers per square foot (actually, I have no idea what story that would tell). I could normalize the number of bicycling workers by the total number of workers in all tracts to show which Census tract is the "most green."
Project: /hard drive/CTPP/part2_test1/")
![Bike Rack Installation Comparison](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4293325285_8343290d42_s.jpg "I submitted this to the University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate School's contest, "Image of Research." The purpose of the map is to show the difference in distribution between 2008 and 2009.
All of the data to produce this map is freely available at the Chicago Department of Transportation Bicycle Parking Program Public Interface (wow, long!). The URL is:
<a href=\"http://www.chicagobikes.org/bikeparking\" rel=\"nofollow\">www.chicagobikes.org/bikeparking</a> - easy to remember!
The Chicago Tribune's RedEye used the data from that website to create a similar map about which to write an article.
My project, "Underserved Wards," has been mentioned at several meetings of the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Council. <a href=\"http://bike2015plan.org/mbac\" rel=\"nofollow\">Read the meeting minutes</a>.
In October 2009, <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesbondsv/4039121730/\">I posted a similar map</a>. The new map is up-to-date and slightly better designed. The map graphics themselves would be slightly higher quality if I had ArcGIS at home. The original vector PDF files are at work and I didn't have access to them at the time I submitted this map. I created all the text and the new legend in Adobe Illustrator.")
About Steven Can Plan
I started this blog in 2007 as the writing assignment for an introductory urban planning class at UIC. It's about cities (mainly Chicago), GIS oftentimes, and transportation (mainly bicycling). Learn more about me, Steven Vance. I also write for Streetsblog Chicago.
Steven Can Plan is hosted on Dreamhost.
Chicago Bike Map App
The Chicago Bike Map app is a bike and street map stored entirely in your iOS device – no data connection required. The map is designed to look much like the City of Chicago's official printed and online bike map. The app works on iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
- Download from the iTunes Store
- Demo the app online
- On iOS, search for "chicago bike map" in the App Store app
Highly Recommended Bike Products
So far I haven't had a flat with this tire. I've used Continental Gatorskin and Panaracer T-Serv, both of which have had flats (same Chicago streets). The Gatorskin has less tread than both, and wears to a slick surface faster.
Bells can be quite useful, especially to tell people in front that you're passing them. I like the ding-dong bell the best. It makes a solid DING and then DONG on the spring's return.
These folding locks are lighter weight and more versatile than an equally strong u-lock.
Books
The Practice of Local Government Planning (Municipal Management Series) by
You could basically design and administer a new town kind of effectively after reading this huge and boring textbook.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities (50th Anniversary Edition) (Modern Library) by Jane Jacobs
Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt
As someone who doesn't like driving, but believes that cars can be efficient in moving groups of people and goods, this is my favorite book.
Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities (Wiley Series in Sustainable Design) by Jeffrey Tumlin
I was sent a review copy. I'm really excited to open it up and start reading because I've been disappointed with textbooks in the past that don't focus on bicycle and pedestrian planning.
Instant City: Life and Death in Karachi by Steve Inskeep
I reviewed this book that the publisher sent to me.
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