Cities reshaped by Airbnb: A case study in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles

Abstract: Over the past decade, Airbnb has evolved from a modest online bed and breakfast platform to a prominent global hospitality service. Scholars have utilized various spatial analysis techniques to investigate its influence on urban areas. This graphic employs cartogram processing to visualize Airbnb listing density in three major US cities (New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles). The findings reveal distinct patterns of Airbnb listings across these cities, with New York City exhibiting a notably skewed distribution. Conversely, Chicago and Los Angeles display more balanced distributions. The results underscore the varying impacts Airbnb may have on neighborhoods depending on their location within these cities.