Superdiversity

Developed an interactive website visualizing New York metropolitan superdiversity, combining data analysis, cross-functional team leadership, and public-facing demographic insights.

SuperDiversity: A Website and Teaching Tool for Understanding the Changing Demographics in Metropolitan New York

Project Overview

At the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, I led the development of the Superdiversity in Metro New York interactive website and teaching tool, providing a comprehensive, data-driven exploration of the changing demographic and socio-economic landscape of the New York metropolitan area. The initiative combined rigorous data analysis, visualization, and narrative design to engage both public and academic audiences1.

Key Findings

  1. New York’s Immigrant Diversity: Nearly a third of NYC residents and almost half of the labor force are foreign-born. Immigrants arrive from dozens of countries, speak hundreds of languages, and are overrepresented among both the most and least educated, reflecting a broad spectrum of socio-economic backgrounds.

  2. Changing Patterns of Language and Assimilation: While English remains dominant, the use of Spanish, Hindi, and Chinese has grown from 2000 to 2018. Many ethnoracial groups maintain linguistic diversity while also adopting English, reflecting both cultural retention and assimilation trends.

  3. Socio-Economic Disparities Across Groups: Employment rates are high across ethnoracial groups, but educational attainment, income, and homeownership vary widely. Chinese and Indian residents are most likely to hold a university degree and own a home, whereas Dominicans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans experience higher rates of low income and lower homeownership.

  4. Neighborhood-Level Superdiversity: Many neighborhoods host complex mixes of Asian and Latinx groups, long-time residents, and recent immigrants. Superdiversity maps reveal how intersecting dimensions of ethnicity, income, education, and immigrant generation shape the lived experience of New Yorkers.

  5. Interconnected Dimensions of Diversity: Superdiversity mapping identifies neighborhoods where multiple dimensions of diversity intersect, showing how people encounter residents from very different socio-economic, ethnic, and educational backgrounds in daily life.


Some example data visualizations from the project.


Project Development

  • Managed end-to-end development of the Superdiversity website, coordinating all phases from project conception to launch.
  • Built and analyzed six large cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets, integrating US Census Bureau and Department of Homeland Security data to examine trends in ethnicity, language, immigration, and socio-economic outcomes.
  • Led a cross-functional team of researchers, data scientists, and designers2 to ensure the project met academic standards and remained accessible to public audiences.
  • Synthesized complex data into compelling narratives and interactive visualizations for both academic and general audiences.
  • Oversaw website design and technical implementation, ensuring usability, robustness, and alignment with stakeholder objectives.
  • Performed advanced spatial and statistical analyses in R and Python to uncover neighborhood-level patterns of diversity and mobility.
  • Collaborated with institutional stakeholders to align project goals with research objectives and community needs.
  • Produced a public-facing platform communicating rigorous demographic insights on superdiversity, mobility, and socio-economic status across the metropolitan region.


Footnotes

  1. This technical paper outlines the methodology used to create all project datasets used to build the website. ↩

  2. I worked with a team of designers from Stamen, who wrote the code to build out the website based on the datasets I developed, analyzes I conducted, and findings I identified. ↩