Bert Sperling

What is there about Dallas?

Bert — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 01:43:31 +0000

You’ve seen the news – Dallas, Texas has been hit hard by major tornado activity.

I can’t say I’m surprised, because about this time last year the New York Times published my rankings of Natural Disaster Risk. And the my top pick of the 379 metros areas in the United States? Yes, Dallas.

Check out the link [...]

Retirement Relocation

Bert — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:21:12 +0000

img src: http://www.mobilelifetoday.com/

I was recently interviewed by the AARP about ways to get the most from your assets as you move into retirement.

I noted that a great way to do this is by relocation. Not on a large scale, like how so many automatically move to Florida or California, but on a [...]

Positive U.S. Education

Bert — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:49:48 +0000

I use a lot of metrics to measure and rate the quality of life in different cities and towns. I haven’t seen anyone else use this particular measure but I think it provides a good insight into the sociological health of a place.

I compare the percent of students who attend public schools with [...]

Sexual Health

Bert — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:42:46 +0000

This year marks the 6th annual Trojan Sexual Health Report Card study that we do, and it’s one of the ongoing projects I’m most proud of. Each year it garners more attention and continues to gain momentum as a source of positive change.

It’s emerged as the only independent evaluation and comparison of on-campus sexual [...]

A Cost of Growth

Bert — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:23:45 +0000

In the study of cities, getting bigger is usually seen as desirable if not inevitible. So interesting issues are raised when growth starts to bring with it some questionable effects.

image: http://williamlitchfield.wordpress.com/

Austin, Texas has been a sanctuary for pickers, singers and painters for generations. The problem is, the creative class is starting to get squeezed out.

People move [...]

Two more reasons I’m proud to be an American

Bert — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:50:37 +0000

Here are two headlines on today’s NPR home page. Be sure to click on the links and read the complete stories.

Muslims Rescue Bagel Shop, Keep It Kosher Coney Island Bialys and Bagels claims to be the oldest bialy bakery in New York City. Founded in 1920, it’s faced hard economic times and changing neighborhood demographics. Now, [...]

Most Stressful Cities

Bert — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:48:39 +0000

Stress is all around us these days – flip on the news and sometimes the problems seem nonstop. There’s so much political infighting and inaction, unemployment, etc…

But are some cities more afflicted than others? It sure looks that way.

We just completed an in-depth study on the nation’s Most Stressful Cities, [...]

Iowa Under Attack

Bert — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 01:48:46 +0000

Stephen Bloom

A professor of journalism at the University of Iowa, Stephen Bloom, has written an article for The Atlantic about life in Iowa. In the piece, he argues that the state is ill-suited to help determine the next president of the United States, declaring, “In a perfect world, no way would Iowa ever [...]

Realtor group admits flawed numbers

Bert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:10:48 +0000

My work is all about data and what it can tell us. So I know that numbers aren’t always what they seem, and they are often misleading either as an accident or part of a larger agenda.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced today that it will be restating home-sales data going back to 2007. (Hey, [...]

Most popular cities for the holidays

Bert — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:29:36 +0000

Just in time for the holidays – which cities have the biggest holiday crush of travelers?

Here are the 100 U.S. cities which show the largest increase in air traveler over the two winter holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year (aka the Winter Holidays).

Now, we didn’t just look at raw numbers. The obvious list would [...]