Neighborhood Walkability Score

So you're buying a home or looking for a place to rent? There is a way now to check the walk score of that particular neighborhood. We know walking gives you all the health benefits (and pocketbook), especially these days after seeing gas prices keep pushing $4 per gallon. The score gives you proximity to the nearest coffee shop, grocery, library, metro or even restaurants plus - other places the nearest to.

It's a 'cool' tool to use. All you need to do is to type in your address or where next home is going to be.

The walk score goes from the lowest zero (0) to 100 being the best walkable neighborhood. If the score falls under 50, that means you truly live in a hood where everything is reachable by driving only. Like where I live. The score for my hood is 31 out of 100! The closest 'Giant Food' is a mile and some change from here. Seriously.

On the other hand, Van Ness hood (DC 20008), has a walk score of 91 out of 100 which is a walkers' paradise. DC 20008 beats VA 22206 (Shirlington) with 2 points.

Find out what the walk score for your hood here.

Comments

[InsideParkchester.blogspot.com]

Interesting. Appreciate this info.

[Paul]

I've seen the walk score application before and think it's very cool. However, you have to be careful how you use it. For instance, as you note, Shirlington has a high score (89). The Rosslyn-Courthouse zip code has only a 78. Anyone who thinks Shirlington is more walkable than Rosslyn is crazy. I dare them to walk across 395!

The following caveats are cut from the walk score site, and should be kept in mind when using the tool and thinking about walkability:

"We'll be the first to admit that Walk Score is just an approximation of walkability. There are a number of factors that contribute to walkability that are not part of our algorithm:

* Street width and block length: Narrow streets slow down traffic. Short blocks make it easier to navigate the grid.
* Safety: How much crime is in the neighborhood? How many traffic accidents are there? Are crosswalks well marked and streets well lit?
* Pedestrian-friendly design: Are there walking paths? Are buildings close to the sidewalk with parking in back? Are sidewalks shaded by trees?
* Topography: Hills can make walking difficult, especially if you're carrying groceries.
* Public transit: Good public transit is important for walkable neighborhoods.
* Freeways and bodies of water: Freeways can divide neighborhoods. Swimming is harder than walking.
* Weather: In some places it's just too hot or cold to walk regularly."

[Frank (Urban Paradoxes)]

Thanks for pointing out this cool widget. I tried it for my home (scored 87) and for downtown Cleveland (score 97). This last is surprising considering the state of downtown Cleveland. Upon closer examination I found that distances are given as "flat" or map distances, rather than walking. The other thing noted was that several of the "walking to" spots mentioned for Cleveland are no longer in existence. Lastly, from my observation, the Cleveland score works can be arrived at only during work hours and has application to evening or night hours. Probably just as well, as safely walking around downtown Cleveland at those hours can be quite iffy.

frank