Harlem Community Story
“Short-staffed Shortcomings?” holds a critical lens to the New York City government after Harlem’s 2025 Legionnaires' disease outbreak. Specifically, the story will address the history of Legionnaires' disease in the city, investigating discrepancies in government procedures as they relate to minority populations.
Through color and size, the three visualizations show the core differences in demographics at risk. The pie chart showcases the disparities between genders. Some factors can contribute to someone catching Legionnaires: age, proximity to others, and other considerations. Harlem is in Manhattan, which, according to the graph, has a value of 4.5 compared to the Bronx at 6.5. However, uptown Manhattan is also significantly Black and Latino – similar to the areas affected in the Bronx.
In the 2nd treemap, the entire left half is taken up by 5 categories (including those ages 55 and above, black, and in the Bronx). The right side has 15 demographic categories, but they represent factors and demographics seemingly less likely to be at risk. As mentioned above, the left side clearly visualizes older, black and brown residents from medium or low-income, largely black/brown (i.e., the Bronx) areas are at a higher disadvantage. In second place at a disadvantage are Men, 45 and above in Manhattan, at least 45, experiencing high or very high poverty. Lastly, according to the data, those with the least disadvantage are 18 to 44-year-old women, White or Asian, living in Brooklyn or Queens.
