This week we chat with Rodney Harrell of the AARP Public Policy Institute about their new Livability Index Tool. I ask him who the tool was created for and tell him why it should be regarded as more than just magazine clickbait. We talk about the robust policy tools that were included for each section and how the data was collected and at what geographic scale.

We also have a chat about the neighborhood scores and what disappointed us about our neighborhood ratings. Rodney discusses how he’s already used the index to promote investment in his neighborhood and how other neighborhoods around the country are using it too. Finally we discuss which cities surprise him and get into a quick chat about Twitter use among policy wonks and why people who have to take care of family members later in life are more likely to be aware of livability issues.

Join us for a fun data driven conversation.