Activity

How do POPS vary in popularity?

definition

We explored POPS usage and popularity through the lens of Flickr image uploads taken within a 100-foot radius of each location within a 12-hour period.

hypothesis

We hypothesized that parks would see a greater intensity of activity relative to POPS, with two to five times more photos taken in each location on average.

method

We first georeferenced each POPS to generate a longitude and latitude from every address. We then pulled image counts from Flickr's API for all 343 POPS and the 254 parks in Manhattan. We mapped sites by absolute photo count and a normalized photo-per-square foot value, yet regression analyses proved that site size was not statistically significant in relation to photo uploads. While we hoped to generate temporal insights on space activity by time of day or week, the Flickr API did not yield sufficient or consistent results on this front.

Findings

Photo activity across parks and POPS is comparable. The mean upload counts for each space type were remarkably consistent (551 for parks and 557 for POPS), yet the median POPS value was higher than the parks value (215 to 100).

Location, not size, matters. POPS and parks' square footage was not found to be statistically related to photo uploads; mapping revealed that location in busy neighborhoods like the Financial District led to higher photo volume.

Parks are attractions in their own right. Most-photographed parks included Fr. Duffy Square in Times Square, Washington Square, Union Square, the High Line, and Central Park; all of these spaces are, themselves, landmarks.

POPS benefit from adjacencies. Aside from Zuccotti Park / One Liberty Plaza, the most-photographed POPS sites benefited from highly trafficked locations nearby: Times Square, Wall Street, the MoMA ... and yes, Trump Tower.