Crashcount.nyc: an open data tool for safe-streets advocacy (Open Data Week)

Presenter: Michael Freedman

Crashcount.nyc is a public, open-data–driven tool that uses NYC Open Data and AI to document and contextualize traffic crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists, with the goal of supporting safer-streets advocacy at the neighborhood and district level. This session will demonstrate how publicly available NYC datasets—particularly traffic crash data—can be transformed into clear, actionable narratives that help communities understand where traffic violence is increasing and how it relates to policy decisions, street design, and enforcement. The presentation will walk through the structure of Crashcount.nyc, the datasets it relies on, and the design decisions behind presenting complex data in a way that is usable by advocates, journalists, and community members without technical backgrounds.

Bio: A successful artist and entrepreneur, Michael James Freedman took a few years off to start, run, and then sell Vocabulary.com. He is now making and selling his own art at MichaelJamesFreedman.com.