Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Podcast

Talking Headways Podcast: Indexing Livability for All Ages

podcast icon logo
false

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.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Friday’s Headlines

Transit agencies working with Waymo?

November 21, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

Posted from the Oakland airport. I don't have any more travel until the end of the year so we'll be on a "normal schedule" until 2026.

November 20, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Emotional Consumption in China

High-speed rail has completely transformed the country. Think about that sentence: "High-speed rail has completely transformed the country." When was the last time something positive like that happened here?

November 20, 2025

Want Vancouver Skytrain in San Diego? Support People Mover to the Airport.

Vancouver is not alone in running people movers on urban rail networks. Copenhagen built its entire 26.9-mile metro using the same technology used on a Saudi Arabian university’s APM.

November 20, 2025

Cutting Federal Transit Funding Won’t Close Budget Gaps — But Will Make Transportation Less Affordable

The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the mass transit account of the Highway Trust Fund would be short-sighted, ineffective, and ruinous, a new analysis finds.

November 19, 2025

Driver Kills Cyclist at Alemany and Naglee

Wide, high-speed street with painted bike lanes and no protection leads to inevitable outcome. This was not an accident.

November 19, 2025
See all posts