Description

“Unequal Weather: Boston” is a data visualization that examines environmental inequity across Boston neighborhoods in real time. The project is an extension of my earlier project, “Unequal Weather” that juxtaposes NYC neighborhoods by income and climate profiles. By pairing live meteorological data with local socioeconomic metrics, this installation visualizes the stark correlation between urban heat islands and systemic economic disparity. Data reveals that lower-income neighborhoods consistently experience significantly higher surface temperatures during extreme heat events compared to wealthier areas. This thermal variance is a direct result of decades of uneven environmental investment, manifesting as a lack of urban tree canopy, fewer public green spaces, and a high density of heat-retaining asphalt and concrete surfaces in vulnerable communities. “Unequal Weather” serves as a critical mirror, demonstrating how climate change does not impact us equally, but instead amplifies existing socioeconomic divides. Viewers can scan the QR code on the project website to add their own neighborhood in the Boston area and decribe the climate in that area. The project uses Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) to generate neighborhood descriptions based on the climate and vicinity to higher population centers.

Link: https://unequalweather.coin-operated.com/boston/

Exhibitions

Northeastern University, October 29/30, 2026

Examples of Neighborhood Data Sets