Livability Score

This score rates the overall livability of a selected neighborhood, city, county, or state on a scale from 0 to 100. It is based on the average score of seven livability categories—housing, neighborhood, transportation, environment, health, engagement, and opportunity—which also range from 0 to 100. We score communities by comparing them to one another, so the average community gets a score of 50, while above-average communities score higher and below-average communities score lower. 

All scoring begins at the neighborhood level. Cities, counties, and states receive a score based on the average scores of neighborhoods within their boundaries. Most communities have a range of more- or less-livable neighborhoods, but for a community to get a high score, neighborhoods throughout it need to score well. This makes it even more challenging for a city, county, or state to get a high score: the more neighborhoods there are within a given boundary, the less likely it will be that all of them have high scores.

Creating a livable community is challenging, and so is getting a high livability score. To get a perfect score of 100, a neighborhood would have to be among the best in the country in each of the seven livability categories. Scoring highly across all categories is difficult. For example, a transit-rich neighborhood has its benefits, but it can also drive up housing prices. To help that neighborhood score highly in both categories, community leaders would have to commit to ensuring affordable housing near public transit is available.

 

Portland, OR

58

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This city of more than 600,000 residents is known for embracing public participation, carrying out sustainable urban growth management, and its unofficial slogan: “Keep Portland Weird!”

The city and its wider metropolitan area are known for their temperate climate, easy living, public transit options, and bikeways. Portland has numerous public gardens and more than 200 parks, and it has prioritized pedestrian and bike safety since 1971, when the city passed the “Bike Bill,” which requires that all new streets accommodate bicycle riders and pedestrians. Well-developed public transportation options, an urban core that has been revitalized since the 1972 “Downtown Plan,” and interconnected neighborhoods (the city includes more than 150 miles of trails) place Portland high among notable age-friendly communities.

The city has been an active proponent of age-friendliness since Portland State University’s Institute on Aging was invited to join the World Health Organization’s Global Age-Friendly Cities project in 2006. Four years later, it was among the first to become a member community in the Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities. In April 2012, Portland joined the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities as an inaugural member and reaffirmed its commitment to creating a livable community for all ages.

While Portland is popular with millennials as a place to live and work, nearly 30 percent of the city’s population is over age 50 and, as is true for the nation, that number is growing.

“Being an age-friendly city is in our DNA,” said Mayor Charlie Hales in November 2014. “Portland has been a walkable city for well over a century; we’ve embraced public transit with buses, light rail trains, and street cars; and we have countless urban parks to explore. The beauty and amenities of the city should be available for everyone, and that includes older residents.”

Some of Portland’s recent milestones on the path toward becoming more age-friendly:

  • 2007: The global release of Portland State University’s (PSU) research on the city’s age-friendly components.
  • 2008-present: Portland’s age-friendly network has helped shape three long-ranging planning efforts to ensure they reflect age-friendly concerns and priorities: visionPDX, the Portland Plan, and the draft Comprehensive Plan.
  • 2011-12: PSU’s Urban and Regional Planning graduate students and the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability collaborate on the report, “Toward an Age-Friendly Portland.”
  • 2013: Release of an “Action Plan for an Age-Friendly Portland.” The plan is now being implemented in cooperation with community partners with a preliminary focus on age-friendly civic engagement, housing, economic development, and employment.
  • 2014: Expansion of age-friendly efforts throughout all of Multnomah County, which has more than 750,000 citizens and includes Portland and five other cities.   

To learn more about Portland, visit: portlandoregon.gov and agefriendlyportland.org.

Published: April 2015

Photos of Portland provided by: Getty Images and iStockphoto.

 

The 8 Domains of Livability

As a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, Portland’s leaders commit to a continual cycle of improvement in the eight domains the World Health Organization has identified as influencing the health and quality of life of older adults:

  1. Outdoor spaces and buildings
  2. Transportation
  3. Housing
  4. Social participation
  5. Respect and social inclusion
  6. Civic participation and employment
  7. Communication and information
  8. Community support and health services

Learn more about the domains by visiting the “8 Domains of Livability” slideshow.

 

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Livability Factors for this Location

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Housing
Affordability and access

They say home is where the heart is—and the same holds true for the Livability Index. Housing is a central component of livability. Deciding where to live influences many of the topics the Index covers. We spend more time in our homes than anywhere else, so housing costs, choices, and accessibility are critical. Great communities provide housing opportunities for people of all ages, incomes, and abilities, allowing everyone to live in a quality neighborhood regardless of their circumstances. 

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Neighborhood
Access to life, work, and play

What makes a neighborhood truly livable? Two important qualities are access and convenience. Compact neighborhoods make it easier for residents to reach the things they need most, from jobs to grocery stores to libraries. Nearby parks and places to buy healthy food help people make smart choices, and diverse, walkable neighborhoods with shops, restaurants, and movie theatres make local life interesting. Additionally, neighborhoods served by good access to more distant destinations via transit or automobile help residents connect to jobs, health care, and services throughout the greater community.

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Transportation
Safe and convenient options

How easily and safely we’re able to get from one place to another has a major effect on our quality of life. Livable communities provide their residents with transportation options that connect people to social activities, economic opportunities, and medical care, and offer convenient, healthy, accessible, and low-cost alternatives to driving. 

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Environment
Clean air and water

Good communities maintain a clean environment for their residents. Great communities enact policies to improve and protect the environment for generations to come. The Livability Index looks at air and water quality. It measures communities’ actions to create resilience plans to prepare for emergencies and natural disasters, and it awards points to states that have policies promoting energy efficiency and that protect consumers from having their utilities cut off during extreme weather events.

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Health
Prevention, access and quality

Community conditions influence health behaviors. Healthy communities have comprehensive smoke-free air laws, offer easy access to exercise opportunities, and have high-quality health care available. Because health is so deeply related to quality of life, many other categories of livability in this Index include metrics related to health. For example, access to healthy foods, jobs and education, number of walk trips, lower speed limits, social engagement measures, and air and water pollution are all related to health. Where you live matters.

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Engagement
Civic and social involvement

A livable community fosters interaction among residents. From social engagement to civic action to Internet access, residents’ individual opportunities to connect and feel welcomed help lessen social isolation and strengthen the greater community. The Index explores and examines the different ways in which residents engage with and support their communities, and how they impact livability as a whole.

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Opportunity
Inclusion and possibilities

America was built on opportunity—and our nation’s many thriving communities are no different. The degree to which a community embraces diversity and offers opportunities to residents of all ages and backgrounds is important to overall livability. Backed by a strong regional economy and fiscally healthy local governments, welcoming communities provide residents an equal chance to earn a living wage and improve their well-being, from jobs to education.