I built The Commons, my first scrollytale, the pudding.cool kind where I move the writing and the graphics together. I made it about public space, libraries and transit and parks, because it’s a topic I care about a lot.
The argument I’m making: a small share of disruptive use degrades a shared space for everyone else, and the fix is services, not spectacle. I linked every number to a primary source.
The data
I gave myself one rule: I don’t assert anything without a citation. I pulled and cleaned datasets from the MTA, NYPD, IMLS, HUD, CDC, Gallup and Pew, and kept the raw research and its caveats in markdown next to them. Where a figure is contested, I flag it in the chart notes.
I didn’t use a chart library. I hand-built every mark as SVG on D3 scales, colorblind-checked and source-cited.
The 3D room
For the spine of the piece I built a room in three.js that degrades as you scroll into the problem and gets reclaimed as you scroll into the solutions.
Links
Live at the-commons.asynchronous.win, code on Github.