The Data You Need to Prove Your City is Bouncing Back
By Charlotte Warne, Product Manager
You might assume your city’s foot traffic during COVID is much lower than it was this time last year. Businesses in your area (or thinking about moving into your area) are probably assuming the same. However, that is not always the case!
The average neighborhood is back up to 106% of pre-Covid pedestrian foot traffic, as measured by our real-time pedestrian sensors.
Using data on pedestrian movement throughout your city, you can reassure stakeholders that the city is still active – people are just using the space in a different way.
Using data from the following sources, you can gain valuable insights about people’s activity in and around your city during the COVID-19 pandemic, a key indicator of economic health:
Apple's Mobility Trends Report tool delivers simple reports on transit, car, and overall foot traffic trends in your city.
Toast’s restaurant revenue data can show revenue for businesses in your city. (If your city or town is not listed, you can ask existing businesses how their revenue compares to pre-Covid revenue).
Geopath's new mobility dashboard shows changes in daily miles traveled by people, broken down by different regions
Foot traffic data on a street-specific level, gathered by smart city technology, like Soofa Signs
These resources can help you tell a compelling story to attract new businesses to the area and challenge assumptions that COVID-19 has emptied the streets.
Kevin Duffy, Strategy and Business Development Officer for the City of Malden, explains how he’ll use pedestrian data to inspire local businesses to stay positive.
“I am going to use the data to say to my businesses; here's where you can start to see a climb [in foot traffic]. And that means more people are coming back to work, so there's more customers around. Hang in there, you can start to see the first light from the dawn.”
Compiling a short report on pedestrian movement and foot traffic during COVID and highlights of the town or city (high graduation rates, thriving industries, plans for residential development, tax and utility rates, and what makes your city different) can give new and existing businesses the insight and inspiration they need.
Want to better understand pedestrian movement in your town? Soofa Signs can help. Learn more.