Boston-311

Service Needs in Boston Neighborhoods Visualized

I have outlined several metrics by which the city can identify the strengths and weaknesses of its service delivery to the people of Boston. I have identified neighborhoods and their priorities based on service requests. I then discuss, how the Boston 311 app’s features could be improved for better engagement with the city’s users. Next, I identify the city’s response times to various service requests and disparities in response times in different neighborhoods. Lastly, I identify using maps the possibility of strengthening disaster-response in case of fires and extending public health services to the neighborhoods where these services are most needed.

The different neighborhoods needs can be systematically prioritized by analyzing the type of cases people are reporting. For example, South Boston and Jamaica Plain overwhelmingly report cases regarding parking enforcement (Fig 1) whereas Mission Hill’s greater priority is pothole repair (Fig 2) while South End’s is needle pickup (Fig 3).

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For more accessibility in reporting cases, users should feel comfortable using the Boston 311 app. Looking at the Google reviews for the app, users have reported mixed reviews. Some people have found great use for the app while others suggested more features. Some reported that a new update had some bugs that broke the app. In January and February of 2020, the types of cases most often reported through the app was parking enforcement requests (Fig 4). Whereas constituents most prefer to call when scheduling a bulk pickup item or reporting a missed trash/recycling pickup (Fig 5). Features that allow easier scheduling of pick up might be a useful addition to the app’s future updates.

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The city’s strengths and weaknesses in its capacity to respond to residents’ requests can show where the city excels at delivering services and in which departments there is room for improvement. From the 2020 data, it seems that certain services such as dealing with abandoned bicycles, street-light outages, and mice infestations take long response times (Fig 6). The city responds quickly however to many other service requests, notably pothole repairs, snowplowing, and parking enforcements (Fig 7).

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The city’s different wards must have different response times to individual neighborhoods. Studying the response times for services in neighborhoods can tell us where services are fast deliver and in which neighborhoods the city needs to develop. Mattapan, Chestnut Hill, and Roslindale seems to be the neighborhoods where services take more time to complete (Fig 8). Allston/Brighton, Fenway, Dorchester, and Back Bay experience much faster response from the city. Although, this trend may be influenced by the kind of services requested in these neighborhoods, it is important to study further the reasons for these delays.

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The city can take preemptive action against certain kinds of requests by anticipating services in certain neighborhoods. One such issue is fire hazards. We can study the reports of fire incidents and the city and bolster the response and disaster-preparedness of the fire department to these neighborhoods. The city can also check for fire exits, alarms, hazardous materials, extinguishers in buildings, and fire hydrants near these vulnerable neighborhoods. I mapped the fire incidents from the 2019 dataset to show these vulnerable areas (Fig 9), but data from the past can be more informative about fire risks in Boston.

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Similarly, the city can identify valuable information about its residents from the 311 dataset. For example, by mapping the requests for needle pickup, the city can help residents by setting up safe needle exchange sites in these neighborhoods (Fig 10). The figure shows that needle pickup is heavily requested in the South End. There is good evidence that that neighborhood will see further requests for this service. The city can prepare better for these requests by preemptively preparing its departments to respond and mitigate this issue.

Further analysis is required to understand the specific needs of Boston neighborhoods, how these needs chane with seasons and how the pandemic has changed the demographic structure of neighborhoods.