For those that are unfamiliar with walkscore.com, the site allows a user to enter an address and they will be a ‘walk score’ for that address out of 100. What exactly is this ‘walk score’? An addresses walk score is determined by the number of many different types of shops, restaurants, institutions and cultural venues that are within a solid walking distance of that particular address. The sites scores are not perfect (I even noticed the omittence of one of our major book stores here in Toronto), but it does give a general idea for how walkable different neighbourhoods are whch can help individuals make key decisions such as where to live.
Recently, the site unveiled its rankings of the 40 largest cities in the United States based squarely off their walk score. The results are not particularly surprising, but are definitely interesting. As one can expect, the denser cities usually offer greater walking opportunities whereas the more suburban based ones typically have far fewer of these opportunities. It’s all a matter of personal taste, but if you are the type that enjoys having many conveniences within walking distances, a far more walkable city typically makes more sense. The top 5 cities are as follows:
- San Francisco (86/100)
- New York City (83/100)
- Boston (79/100)
- Chicago (76/100)
- Philadelphia (74/100)
For those interested in seeing the complete list, you can click here.
