What Is the METRO Score? The City Health Index Created by Seyi Fabode
The METRO Score is a 0–100 city health index created by Seyi Fabode, author of Your City Sucks!, built on 15 metrics and applied to 1,499 US cities.
01 / The field guide
Articles
Cities don't fail in neat columns. Follow the soft-system problem, then see where it shows up in the city.
Topics / What breaks between peopleCategories / Where you see it on the street
01 / Topic · the soft-system failure
02 / Category · where it happens
Field notes / Newest first5 articles
Why Towns Are Saying No to Data Centers: From 85% to 11%
Data center approvals by US city councils fell from 85% to 11% in four years, and opposition now spans 38 states. Seyi Fabode on what residents are really saying no to.
Soft-System Risk: Why Infrastructure Fails After the Money Is Raised
Most urban infrastructure doesn't fail for lack of capital. Seyi Fabode on soft-system risk, the METRO Score and what investors miss in due diligence.
The $3,300 Infrastructure Tax Every American Family Already Pays
Crumbling roads, bridges and pipes already cost the average American family $3,300 per year. Seyi Fabode on the maintenance trap and ways to break it.
$170 Billion Stalled: Community Opposition Is Now a Deal Risk
Data center community opposition has put announced investment at risk. A practical framework for investors to price trust, permitting and delivery risk.
01 / Topics
Follow the fault line.
02 / Categories
Find it in the city.
- 01Water & Wastewater
- 02Energy & the Grid
- 03Data Centers & AI
- 04Roads, Highways & Bridges
- 05Transit & Mobility
- 06Housing & Zoning
- 07Childcare & Family Life
- 08Parks, Libraries & Public Space
- 09Public Safety & Surveillance
- 10Broadband & Digital Access
- 11Insurance, Bonds & City Budgets
- 12Climate, Green Space & Air