um
m
rat h
urg L
ine
Hy
SOMERVILLE
!
(
So
er
m
vil
m
PORTER
er
le A
St
M cG
S
Fitch
b
in e
ll L
DAVIS
WELLINGTON
we
Lo
!
(
!
(
v
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
!
(
ton
hing
Was t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
5
!
!
(
Inman Sq.
!
(
Mc
G
5
!
St
KENDALL
/ MIT
Kilometers
1
2
th
H
y
LECHMERE
CENTRAL
0
ra
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
!
(
We
bst
er
Pro
s
pe
ct
St
HARVARD
ington
Wash t
S
BOSTON
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
Union Square and the Green Line Extension
Just over 2 kilometers from downtown Boston and Harvard University, Union Square is a
vibrant commercial center not yet served by rapid transit. The Massachusetts Executive
Office of Transportation is under a federal order to extend the Green Line Trolly system
through Somerville by 2014. This extension will follow the existing Lowell Line on the
commuter rail and will include a spur to Union Square along the Fitchburg Line. New transit
access has a potential to ennliven Union Square and the Inner Belt Industrial park, located
just to the east.
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 1; September 2009
Roads: Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation, 2007
MBTA System: Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation, 2006
Proposed GreenLine Extension and Stops from
WELLINGTON
DAVIS
m
er
vi
m
lle
A
St
McG
So
PORTER
er
rath
S
um
m
Hy
SOMERVILLE
v
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
ington
Wash t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
ton
hing
Was t
S
St
Inman Sq.
Mc
G
5
!
pe
ct
Pro
s
ra
th
H
LECHMERE
We
bst
er
St
HARVARD
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
y
CENTRAL
BOSTON
KENDALL
/ MIT
0
Kilometers
1
2
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
0
65
-1
00
30
0
0
-3
00
20
10
0
-2
00
-1
10
-1
0
People per Hectare (Blockgroup) Parks
0
2000 Population Density
At a blockgroup level of aggregation, union square does not appear to be a
particularly densely populated place. This pattern may not be entirely accurate,
since most blockgroups include large areas of open space, industrial,
commercial and institutional uses. If we think of the benefits of open space as
being most valuble within a distance of 200 meters, the granularity of this data
will not support the study of this question, since blockgroups are much larger
than 200 meters. We can see, however, that there is a higher population
densityarea in northeast somerville that includes virtually no parks.
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 1;
September 2009
Blockgroup Population Density: US Census Bureau, 2000 via
Geolytics.
Openspace: MassGIS Openspace Layer, 2007
WELLINGTON
DAVIS
m
er
vi
m
lle
A
St
McG
So
PORTER
er
rath
S
um
m
Hy
SOMERVILLE
v
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
ington
Wash t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
ton
hing
Was t
S
St
Inman Sq.
Mc
G
5
!
pe
ct
Pro
s
ra
th
H
LECHMERE
We
bst
er
St
HARVARD
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
y
CENTRAL
BOSTON
KENDALL
/ MIT
0
Kilometers
1
2
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
0
65
-1
00
30
0
0
-3
00
20
0
-2
00
10
10
-1
0
People per Hectare (Block)
-1
The 2009 Census, aggregated at a block level, reveals a much more diverse
pattern of population density than is revealed at the blockgroup level. The
block level of aggregation is the finest that the census offers. This data
should allow us to measure a 200 meter relationship between densly
populated areas and open spaces. Yet it is difficult to make conclusions from
a simple visual analysis.
0
2000 Population Density
Parks
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 1; September
2009
Block Population Density: US Census Bureau, 2000 via
Geolytics.
Parks: MassGIS Openspace Layer, 2007. Any protected
Openspace is considered a park.
WELLINGTON
DAVIS
m
er
vi
m
lle
er
rath
So
PORTER
m
St
M cG
S
um
Hy
SOMERVILLE
Av
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
ington
Wash t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
ton
hing
Was t
S
pe
ct
Pro
s
ra
th
H
LECHMERE
We
bst
er
St
Inman Sq.
Mc
G
5
!
St
HARVARD
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
y
CENTRAL
BOSTON
KENDALL
/ MIT
0
Kilometers
1
2
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
%
00
60
%
-1
0%
-6
0%
-4
40
%
20
%
10
%
-2
0
%
%
0
-1
On this map of 2000 Census of population age data, we can see some
blockgroups are clearly distinquished as having more than 60 percent of the
population being below age 21, and others with less than 10 percent of the
population in this age group. These data reveal that the blockgroups
comprising Union Square do not appear to be a particularly dominated by
minors compared to the norm for the region.
Percent Aged Under 21 (2000 Blockgroups)
0
2000 Census: Percent Minors
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 2;
September 2009
Blockgroup Age Distribution: US Census Bureau, 2000 via
ESRI 2007
Openspace: MassGIS Openspace Layer, 2007
WELLINGTON
DAVIS
m
er
vi
m
lle
er
rath
So
PORTER
m
St
M cG
S
um
Hy
SOMERVILLE
Av
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
ington
Wash t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
ton
hing
Was t
S
Pro
s
pe
ct
We
bst
er
St
Inman Sq.
Mc
G
5
!
St
HARVARD
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
ra
th
H
LECHMERE
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
y
CENTRAL
BOSTON
KENDALL
/ MIT
0
Kilometers
1
2
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
2000 Age Distribution
On this map of 2000 Census of population age data, the height of a bar
represents the count of people in one of four age catefgories for each
blockgroup. We can see many blockgroups that in 2000 were distinquished by
having more minors (especially near universities.) Other blockgroups where
early career people make up the majority (for example in Union Square, but
more strikingly in Allston and Brighton.) Fewer blockgroups show a majority of
late career and senor citizens.
2,900
0 - 21 Years
50 - 64
21- 49
64 and Older
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 2;
September 2009
Blockgroup Age Distribution: US Census Bureau, 2000 via
ESRI 2007
Openspace: MassGIS Openspace Layer, 2007
WELLINGTON
DAVIS
m
er
vi
m
lle
A
St
McG
So
PORTER
er
rath
S
um
m
Hy
SOMERVILLE
v
Union Square
CAMBRIDGE
ington
Wash t
S
Inner Belt
Industrial Park
ton
hing
Was t
S
St
Inman Sq.
Mc
G
5
!
pe
ct
Pro
s
ra
th
H
LECHMERE
We
bst
er
St
HARVARD
SULLIVAN
SQUARE
Charlestown
(part of Boston)
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
y
CENTRAL
BOSTON
KENDALL
/ MIT
0
Kilometers
1
2
N
Massachusetts State Plane Projection
00
0
0
-3
00
00
10
30
0
-1
00
0
-3
00
10
10
-1
0
Employees per Hectare (Blockgroup) Parks
-1
Union Sqaure is not one of the chief employment centers of the Boston /
Cambridge / Somerville area. 2000 census data imputed from the 15%
household sample of the Long Form recipients, aggregated to the blockgroup
indicates that the employment density of blockgroups making up union square
is less than 100 employees per hectare. The city of Somerville has hopes
that the Inner Belt Industrial Park, located to the East of Union Square may
eventually become a regional employment center, similar to Kendall Square.
0
2000 Employment Density
Sources:
Map: Paul Cote; Fundamentals of GIS Assignment 1;
September 2009
Employment Data, Bureau of Transportation Statistics Census
Transportation Planning Package, 2000, Aggregated to
Blockgroups
Openspace: MassGIS Openspace Layer, 2007