NYC Subway Ridership: Mapping the City’s Pulse by Jessie Jiahui Han

An ambient, animated map that reveals the city’s transit rhythms. Leverage NYC open data, the map turns hourly ridership data into a dynamic, time-driven map. Each station is represented as a point of light, with size and brightness reflecting passenger volume at any given moment.

We all know that 'the city never sleeps,' but visualizing its rhythm reveals deeper stories—how the outer boroughs fuel Manhattan’s bustling life. In the early morning, commuters from these areas begin their journeys, shaping the pulse of the city. As the day unfolds, some stations become ten times more crowded than before. And just as Manhattan quiets again, a new day begins, and the outer boroughs wake up once more.

This work explores transit not just as infrastructure, but as a reflection of urban life—revealing movement as a continuous rhythm shaped by time, location, and human patterns.