Interactive map shows population density and neighbourhood build-out in Langley City

Jens von Bergmann who runs the Mountain Doodles blog has built some interesting visualizations over the years with the use of census data. The latest creation from von Bergmann is an interactive map of the changing population density in the Metro Vancouver Regional District from 1971 to 2016.

The following are samples looking at Langley City from 1991, 2001, and 2016. The population density is scaled the same, so it is an apples-to-apples comparison.

Langley City Population Density, 1991. Source: Mountain Doodles

Langley City Population Density, 2001. Source: Mountain Doodles

Langley City Population Density, 2016. Source: Mountain Doodles

Beside population density, I found it interesting to see the growth of the single-family neighbourhoods south of the Nicomekl River. Starting with Eagle Heights and along 203rd, then filling-in moving west to east from 1981 to 1996. Another thing I saw was the decrease in population density from 1996 to 2016 in neighbourhoods south of the Nicomekl River due to decreasing household sizes.

From a technical explanation of the interactive map, please read the post Census Custom Timelines.

Changes in commuting over the last 20 years in Metro Vancouver. Neighbourhoods that generate congestion, neighbourhoods that don't.

Jens von Bergmann runs the Mountain Doodles blog where he shares data visualizations and insights based on Statistics Canada data. I’ve previous shared some of the visualizations that he has created in the past. His latest visualizations look at how people commute to work in Metro Vancouver based on neighbourhood-level census data.

One of the interesting visualizations is the change in the number of people driving to work between 1996 and 2016 which is the most recent census.

Change in number of drivers 1996 – 2016. Select image to enlarge. Source: MountainMath, Statistics Canada

The purple areas show where there has been a larger increase in the number of people driving to work, while the yellow areas show where there has been a decrease in the number of people driving to work.

In Langley City, we can see that in some neighbourhoods there has been no or a reduction in people driving to work in absolute numbers. In other Langley City neighbourhoods, there has been modest growth such as in the 198 Street/Brydon area over the last 20+ years.

Clayton in Surrey, and Willoughby in the Township of Langley, have seen a large increase in people driving to work over the same time period. This makes sense as these are new communities.

Another interesting map shows the net difference between driving and non-driving as the method of commuting to work over the last 20+ years.

Difference in change in number of non-drivers vs drivers 1996 – 2016. Select image to enlarge. Source: MountainMath, Statistics Canada

This is useful as it can show which neighbourhoods are more auto-dependent, even accounting for population growth and changes in the number of people that must commute to work.

Again, Langley City has neighbourhoods that range from transit-friendly to more auto-dependent. The most auto-dependent neighbourhoods near Langley City are Clayton and Willoughby.

There are two reasons for neighbourhoods being more auto dependent. One is a lack of transit service, and the other is urban design that doesn’t encourage walking. Most transit riders start their commute by walking.

The next census will be in 2021, so it will be interesting to see how things have changed. There is much more information Jens’ Commuter Growth post.

New visualization project maps Stats Canada data

The visualization of statistics can help us comprehend complex information. The Statistics Canada Census and National Household Survey contain a wealth of information. Unfortunately, most of that information is only available in data tables. On their own, these data tables can seem like just a jumble of numbers, but visualized, that data comes to life.

Jens von Bergmann and Alejandro Cervantes started a data visualization project called Census Mapper. This project represents various Census and National Household Survey data sets onto an interactive map. Right now, there is a little more than a dozen different maps available for all of Canada on the site.

One of the interesting map for Metro Vancouver is the combined commuting cost plus median value of housing by census track. The results are similar to the Metro Vancouver study that I posted about earlier this year. With the exception of the super-rich single-family housing areas in Vancouver and West Vancouver, the closer you are to transit, the more affordable it is to live in Metro Vancouver.

Map of Combined Commuting Cost and Dwelling Value based on data from Stats Canada. Select map to enlarge.

What is really neat about the Census Mapper project, is that you can drill into more detailed maps from the overall maps. For example, the follow map shows the direct commute cost which data was fed into the overall combined commuting cost and dwelling value map.

Map of Direct Commute Cost. Select map to enlarge.

New maps a being added to the Census Mapper site regularly.