Alana Schuppert

Every day, over a million people commute into New York City. Whether by driving or taking trains, ferries, metros, etc., people depend on different types of transportation in order to get in and out of the city. Yet, they have little knowledge of the environmental and mental health impacts commuting can cause. As urban communities grow and the need for more sustainable cities becomes greater, more needs to be done in order to bring awareness to and create efficient holistic commuting systems.

The goal of this project is to gather and identify problematic environmental and wellness data that exists within the array of daily commutes and present that information with an interactive data visualization. At the same time, this project brings awareness to and builds an understanding of the commuter struggle by using VR technology to give the audience the experience of seeing these different commutes through a commuter’s eyes. Subsequently, the project consists of a proposal for an alternative method of commuting that allows for an enjoyable and holistic system, which will be beneficial to both its users and the environment.