Chicago · civic data

About

I'm Connor Ulrich Blandford, a student taking a gap year to do independent, unpaid data work on Chicago. I build maps, data releases, and policy analysis about the city's built environment and social infrastructure: the physical systems that shape how services reach neighborhoods.

So far that means the space Chicago Public Schools isn't using and what it could hold, pothole reports and how long the City takes to close them, and what Chicago's large buildings report about their energy use.

Everything starts with public records, mostly from the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools, and federal agencies. I publish the cleaned data, code, and methods so anyone can check the work or build on it. The goal is a shared factual starting point for residents, reporters, and decision-makers, so debates about Chicago can focus on what to do rather than what's true. My articles take the next step: they propose ways of viewing the city's problems and what to do about them.

Email Connor@ConnorBlandford.com

ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5938-7151

GitHub https://github.com/cub44