Preliminary Findings

Abstract

This chapter presents the preliminary findings of this research. It explains the use of social media data and the role of geographic information systems in visualizing it. The produced heatmaps help in identifying ten major socio-spatial clusters in the Chicago CBD. Importantly, field surveys validated these clusters. For illustration purposes, a sample of respective photographs of these clusters is provided. Further, the identified socio-spatial clusters are regrouped based on Kevin Lynch’s imageability elements: paths (the Chicago River and the Magnificent Mile) and a district (the Chicago Loop), which contains significant socio-cultural nodes in the form of popular plazas. Finally, the study examines “a compound edge” (the Chicago Skyline). These elements are detailed in Chaps. 6, 7, 8, and 9.