Location, location, location! Innovative new app helps homebuyers find areas best suited to their needs
Residents and potential newcomers to Warsaw can now breathe a sigh of relief as an innovative web application has been developed to help them find their ideal living location.
Mieszkaj Tu is a web-based app created by former Google developer Jan Żankowski that promises to make the search for a new home in the city easier than ever before.
The app allows users to analyse a map of Warsaw using sixteen filters to find the place in Warsaw best suited to their needs.
This first-of-its-kind platform lets users filter for their dream amenities, whether it’s discount supermarkets, restaurants, churches, or even trees.
The app allows users to analyse a map of Warsaw using sixteen filters to find the place in Warsaw best suited to their needs.
This first-of-its-kind platform lets users filter for their dream amenities, whether it’s discount supermarkets, restaurants, churches, or even trees.
They include the height of buildings, tree cover, public transportation, distance from a train station and high-speed roads, discount stores, shopping malls, restaurants, parks, churches, kindergartens, elementary schools, playgrounds and price of apartment.
Users can set individually what they are looking for, then the application will show which places in the city best suit these preferences.
The filters include the height of buildings, tree cover, public transportation, distance from a train station and high-speed roads, discount stores, shopping malls, restaurants, parks, churches, kindergartens, elementary schools, playgrounds and price of apartment.
Żankowski explained that the idea for the site came in a eureka moment.
He said: "A year ago I was looking for a website to help me choose the best place to live in Warsaw that would tell me about close proximity to services, public transportation and green spaces. I couldn't find such a tool in Poland or even in the world, so I decided to make one myself.
“When looking at an ad and then an apartment, we don't always know much about the area. What if we were to reverse the search process - first find the neighbourhood where the most important amenities for us will be, and then look for ads only in a particular place?”
Creator Jan Żankowski said: “When looking at an ad and then an apartment, we don't always know much about the area. What if we were to reverse the search process - first find the neighbourhood where the most important amenities for us will be, and then look for ads only in a particular place?”
Using data from Warsaw City Council and OpenStreetMap, Żankowski broke the city down into 200-metre-square blocks, then used algorithm wizardry to measure the distance of all the amenities to each of these blocks, giving users the power to customize their search and find the ideal place to call home.
While some results will be obvious for those familiar with the city, such as Śródmieście having lots of restaurants and Wawer being very green, some results even surprised Żankowski.
“A hugely positive surprise for me was Old Praga and Bródno. The map I created shows that these are some of the best places to live in Warsaw,” he said.
Using data from Warsaw City Council and OpenStreetMap, Żankowski broke the city down into 200-metre-square blocks, then used algorithm wizardry to measure the distance of all the amenities to each of these blocks, giving users the power to customize their search and find the ideal place to call home.
Old Praga is second only to Śródmieście in terms of proximity to restaurants.
Żankowski has plans to develop the service, by adding more criteria with a tab for safety soon to be added.
“I hope that my tool will be useful to residents, and maybe to the city government as well,” he said.
