Who's getting off the L

Riding the L train in New York City, one notices how drastically the race demographic changes at every stop. There are always some outliers, but for the most part, you can predict who will be getting off at what stop by the color of their skin and/or what their clothes look like. We notice it, but we don’t talk about it. Is this a sign of gentrification or progress or a step backwards? Our goal is to start a discussion, nothing more and nothing less. By creating a visual that blends into what we are used to seeing in the subway, but at the same time sends a message, perhaps we can start that discussion for a few people.

We researched the average rent price for a number of stops along the L, and used a dollar sign system to represent the cost of a 1-bedroom at each stop ranging from 1 ($) - the least expensive- to 4 ($$$$) - the highest priced. We hope to get people thinking critically about the implications of gentrification. How does it happen? Where does it happen? Who does it impact? What happens to people who were living in the communities before gentrification? In a nutshell who is getting off the L and off on gentrification?

Thanks for stopping by, and please share your thoughts about what's not being talked about...