Wellbeing Mobility Explorer

Our project began with a simple question: How does access to sustainable public transport shape the wellbeing of people in cities? Wellbeing is often measured through health, income, or education, but the environment we live in—and our ability to move through it—has just as profound an impact on quality of life. When we discovered OECD’s dataset on access to green public transport in urban areas, we were inspired to bring this dimension of wellbeing to life through an interactive data app.

The process of building the project taught us how powerful data storytelling can be. Raw numbers can be difficult to interpret, but when visualized with intention, they spark curiosity and highlight trends that would otherwise remain hidden. We learned how to frame multiple perspectives of the same dataset: time-series plots to capture trends over time, radar charts to compare several countries at once, bar race animations to illustrate shifts in rankings, and clustering methods to group countries with similar accessibility levels. Each visualization told a different part of the story, and together they gave a holistic picture of urban wellbeing through sustainable mobility.

We built our dashboard using Plotly Studio. We began by cleaning and structuring the OECD dataset, which included measures of the percentage of the urban population with access to green public transport across European countries. From there, we designed dashboards that allowed users to explore the data in multiple ways: an interactive map for geographic disparities, a time-series explorer for tracking progress, and comparison cards that showed country-level details alongside benchmarks such as the EU average. Clear design was at the center of our choices—titles, legends, and controls were crafted to help users explore the data smoothly and intuitively.

The journey was not without challenges. The dataset was limited to a few specific years, which meant we had to design our visualizations carefully to keep them engaging despite gaps in continuity. We also had to strike a balance between clarity and creativity—some visualizations, like radar charts and clustering, were visually compelling but required additional context for users to interpret. Technically, it took time to understand Plotly Studio’s advanced features and how to combine them into a consistent storytelling experience.

Through these challenges, however, came key insights. We found that some countries, such as Finland and Lithuania, have achieved extremely high levels of access to green transport, while others, including Romania and Bulgaria, continue to lag behind. These disparities suggest that wellbeing, as measured by sustainable mobility, is not evenly distributed across Europe. We also identified which countries made meaningful improvements over time and which remained stagnant, highlighting areas where policy interventions could be most impactful.

In the end, our Urban Wellbeing Dashboard demonstrates that mobility and wellbeing are deeply intertwined. By visualizing access to green public transport, we provide policymakers, researchers, and citizens with a tool that not only informs but also inspires action. We hope our project encourages others to see wellbeing through a broader lens—one that includes the ways people move, connect, and breathe in the cities they call home.

Built With

• oedc
• plotly
• well