Abstract
We examine changes in the livability rankings of U.S. metropolitan areas as measured by 1981 and 1985 editions of Places Rated Almanac. The bonus point system of the 1985 Almanac arbitrarily rewards PMSA status in four of the nine indices used to measure urban livability, thus giving 76 metropolitan area a decided advantage over 253 “stand alone”MSAs. A Student's t-test of thirteen comparably measured vaiables in both editions reveals many counterintuitive results. Metropolitan areas gaining in rank have higher rates of violent crime and housing costs and provide less public transportation and health care than their declining counterparts. The changes in rankings reflect changed measurement criteria and metropolitan delimitation rather than any substantive change in the U.S. urban system. Alternative mechanisms allocating bonus points, including a gravity model and the daily urban system, are suggested.
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