Steve Griffith
Intro to GIS
November 8, 2013
Assignment #5
Introduction
My final project will be a geographic exploration of Boston’s Seaport District. Specifically, this project
will explore social and spatial changes seen in the past decade, and will also decipher future
development potential for the area hailed as the city’s emerging hub of innovation. At this time, the
final project will likely not feature a suitability analysis.
Data Management
All data and GIS work will be managed in the following folders within my H drive.
Data
As shown in the screenshot below, the data frame and all layers for my project and will be within the
NAD 1983 Massachusetts State Plane (US Meter) coordinate system.
Data Frame
Note: Polygon datasets (all but MBTA routes) were clipped to the West Broadway/D Street
Neighborhood as defined by the City of Boston (original shapefile: “BostonNeighborhoods90). This
neighborhood includes the Seaport District and surrounding area to the south.
Land Use
Source: MassGIS
Original Data Name: LANDUSE2005_POLY
Processing:
 Clipped to Seaport/South Boston Neighborhood
MBTA Routes
Source: MassGIS
Original Data Name: MBTA_ARC
Processing:
 Clipped to Greater Seaport/South Boston Neighborhood
Parcels
Source: City of Boston Assessor
Original Data Name: FY_Parcel_Join
Processing:
 Clipped to Seaport/South Boston Neighborhood
 Projected into Massachusetts State Plane – NAD 1983 (US Meters)
2010 Census Block Population
Source: MassGIS
Original Data Name: CENSUS2010BLOCKS_POLY
Processing:
 Clipped to Seaport/South Boston Neighborhood
 Joined with 2010 Census Table “Population by Age and Gender”
 Symbology changed to show 2010 population by Census block with distribution divided into 5
classes
Clipped Data
Data Calculations
Land Use
MBTA Routes
Parcels
2010 Census Block Population
GIS Tools
1) What is the average total assessed value per square foot of land for all parcels in this
neighborhood?
First, I used select by attributes to deselect those parcels with a null figure in the total average
assessed value field. I then added a new field and used the field calculator tool to create an
output of assessed value divided by square footage for each parcel. Finally, I used summary
statistics to find that in this neighborhood, the mean total parcel value by square foot is equal
to $188.
I did not have any technical difficulties during this evaluation. I believe this data to be accurate,
but am concerned with how many parcels had null figures in their total assessed value fields.
This missing data may foster an incomplete or distorted summary of value per square foot.
2) How many people live within 0.25 miles of an MBTA subway route?
First, I created a buffer around the MBTA routes equal to 0.25 miles. Then, I joined this new
layer with the Census Block Population layer. As shown in the screenshot of the newly created
layer’s shapefile below, there are 7,078 people living with 0.25 miles of the MBTA subway in this
neighborhood.
I did not have any technical difficulties during this evaluation. In regard to accuracy, I believe
there are some limitations to using census blocks in defining population spatially. In addition,
the question itself is somewhat ambiguous because realistically, it matters far more how many
people live near an MBTA stop versus the pathway of the MBTA route.