Is there a way to estimate cities vulnerability to rodent infestations?
Using the approach of an Urban Aspect Register (UAR) already common in planning and conducting big engineering projects, we came up with 14 factors that would seem to influence rodent populations. After an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and other data, we ranked 32 metropolitan areas according to their scores for factors including population, economic conditions, city spend on various parts of the infrastructure, and weather effects. Adding these scores produces a list much like those for best colleges, best places to retire, etc. The research, funded by a major retail rodenticide manufacturer, is only a first step in looking more closely at cities on a broad basis and in considering mitigation that may help. The order of the first 10 cities by their cumulative scores for greatest rodent vulnerability were: 1) New York; 2) Houston; 3) Boston; 4) Louisville, Ky.; 5) Philadelphia; 6) Baltimore; 7) Washington, D.C.; 8) Chicago; 9) El Paso, Texas; and 10) Milwaukee. The UAR spreadsheet sho
