murderNYC – Mashups

murderNYC: new yorkers would kill for your apartment

The digital to digital mashup features homicide data for NYC overlaid on a map of the five boroughs. The first screen shows a visual representation of murder rates in New York over the last ten years. (We’re declining!) The gradients are relatively accurate, but definitely not mathematically perfect. Data was gleaned from every source imaginable.

nyc_murder

If you click the button on the bottom, live real estate listings for New York will populate the map.

nyc2_real estate

You can then choose if want to see listings in a relatively safe neighborhood, like Staten Island (murders in 2011: 4) or in a pretty blood-drenched community, like Washington Heights (shout out 10033). To live in quiet and actually remain alive, click on “i value my life.” Listings may be safe, but they will probably carry a higher price tag. To return to the map without real estate date, you would click “i’m a purist.”

nyc_safe

Click on “let’s risk it!” and you can explore the more interesting parts of the city that may prove to be a better deal, but you might not live there long. Probably because you might not live long.

nyc_risky

You can then zoom in on the area of your choosing and look specific real estate listings that contain pertinent data like address, bedroom quantity, price, and bloodshed ratio. And you can always zoom out and check out a different borough. Like Staten Island.

nyc2_risky manhattan

murderNYC: blood is thicker than subway sewage…

My digital to physical mashup brings murder to life, if you will, in New York City. Wherever a murder has occurred in New York, a solar powered, flat, subtle light will shine from buildings and parks and, you know, foundries. Residents and visitors alike can marvel at the history of death in this city either by just viewing the lights as a memorial or scanning with their phones to see more information about the gruesome crime committed at their feet.

 

1 comment

  1. Great project! The video is a nice touch. I was thinking it would work well as an App on your phone, but when you mentioned that it’s supposed to be outside and visible to people regardless of their devices, etc.. then it made the purpose clearer. Great project – I would like to see it developed further!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.