How Walkable is Your Neighborhood? (Walkscore website)

[phantom power]

I'm busted. You knew they had me at "Amory Lovins."

Typically, when people think about how sustainable a neighborhood is, they probably think of neighborhoods with lots of organic stores, solar paneled roofs, small hybrid cars and a strong recycling/composting culture. And all of those ideas have their place, but I would argue that the most important is how walkable/bikable a neighborhood is. From Streetsblog, we discover a new website, http://walkscore.com">Walkscore gives us a chance to calculate this aspect of different neighborhoods. While this is admittedly a crude measure and has some fairly obvious flaws, it is in many ways a good rough measure of how walkable a given location is compared to others.

Just pure density does not a walkable neighborhood make. It requires a healthy mix of residential, retail, services and office space. It means basically being able to accomplish pretty much any of your necessary daily trips by foot and not requiring an automobile.

For instance Amory Lovins' Rocky Mountain Institute gets a fairly low score since pretty much anyone that works there or wants to get lunch off campus HAS to drive there. However, most of Manhattan gets a 90+

http://nyc.theoildrum.com/node/2902

[DS1]

1. 95

[phantom power]

3. My address scored 42, which I actually think is unfairly low.

It's true that most stuff is about 1 mile from our house, but there is rather a LOT of stuff at 1 mile (manhattan metric rules in Phoenix). We have a variety of grocery stores, shops, restaraunts, even a couple bookstores, at the 1-mile radius.

Not exactly a corner-store situation, but we regularly walk to restaraunts for fun, and even walk for some of our grocery shopping. Anybody in our neighborhood could do without a car (leaving aside people's job locations, which I assume might be all over the map).

[supernova]

2. 9 out of 100

1) It's a rural area with some traffic and no sideways or bikepaths.

2) There's one liquor store and one restaurant within walking distance. I'd do it if not for the no place to walk thing. I used to do a walk down to the RR tracks, about a mile down the road, but there are too many cars now.

So, I have to use the car.

[LWolf]

4. Zero.

I knew that before I entered in the address.

I live rurally, at the dead end of a private dirt road, next to miles of public land. I love it here.

I could ride my horse to town; people used to do that. Town has grown so much, though, that I don't consider it safe for my horse and I along the side of the roads. Too much traffic. So I just make sure that any business I have to conduct in town is done in one trip. One trip to town every 2 weeks usually does it.

[phantom power]

8. They seem to give a lot of weight to being *very* close.

As you say, most people lived in a situation like yours, prior to the invention of the automobile. A 15-20 minute walk seems not too big a deal to me, but it obviously hit my score pretty hard.

[LWolf]

26. When I was a kid,

I lived in socal. I used to ride my horse over the bridge across the 101 to the shopping center on the other side of the freeway. There was a giant oak in the middle of the parking lot with a hitching post. The shopping center included a grocery store, a bakery, a pizza parlor, and some other stuff I don't remember.

We usually went for the pizza, or the bakery that carried "pizza bagels," lol. There was a trail across the street from the shopping center that got us to another little shopping area with Cantina, tack store, etc.. without ever having to ride down a street.

To get somewhere without driving, the community has to have a safe infrastructure to support non-auto transportation. If I'm going to walk, I need to do so safely. If I'm going to ride a bike or horse, I need to be able to do so safely, and have somewhere to put my horse or bike in safety while I do whatever business I came to town to do. Get the cars off the road, and other options are more viable.

[zabet]

15. Zero for me too.

"Green acres is the place to be...
Farm livin' is the life for me!"

We try never go to town more than once a week and try to not
go but every 2 weeks. It seems like something always comes
up to keep it from being every 2 weeks. Tractor parts, backhoe
parts, something usually comes up.

[LWolf]

23. That happens here, too.

I have to drive to work; I don't have to go through town to get there. I can get to work with 4 stop signs and no traffic lights. I work in an even smaller town to the north, and can get some of the "extras" right across the road from work.

[benddem]

5. 0 out of 100

It actually says 26 out of 100...but I would defy you to walk to any of the places. Nearest bookstore "christian book store" The hardware store is some guys house. The best thing about my house...aside from my garden...is that I live next to a huge park...and they completely missed that.

[noamnety]

11. I was going to post 0 as well

Mine says 22. But my daughter says 0, based on every time she goes out she gets harassed by men. So she doesn't walk here at all when she's visiting, though she herself lives without a car.

If they think walkability depends only on proximity, they are wrong. They haven't included the asshole factor.

[Whoa_Nelly]

6. 15...But...!

It's a good neighborhood safety-wise, the homes are relatively new, and the home maintenance of the general neighborhood is very good to excellent.

To compare, I put in my old address from when I lived here almost 25 years ago, and got a 91 for that area. Yet, the safety factor in that neighborhood has severely declined due to meth, crack, and general decline in neighborhood home maintenance.

So, seems there are other things that should be included. Were I to be moving here from a distance away, and knew nothing about the neighborhood, using Walkscore would not really be an accurate measure.

[Longhorn]

7. I got a 12.

No surprise, of course. I live in a rural subdivision. I can walk to the vet, to two restaurants, to vote at a church, and to a great pottery store. All of these are about a mile from my house. I can also walk to several auto repair stores but what's the point in that? :)

I used to ride my bike to work -- ten miles by car but 17 miles by the safest bicycle route. It is also a winding, hilly road and even on an electric bike, it took me about 90 minutes each way. As they add neighborhoods out here, I keep looking for a shorter route.

There are some advantages to living out here but it's definitely not a "walkable" neighborhood.

[Deja Q]

9. Pity it doesn't include TRAFFIC CONDITIONS (which can be lethal), but

mine is 62/100.

However, my closest grocer is 2.09 miles away; not 1.04 as they claim. What's 1.04 miles away are 3 restaurants and a bank.

Plus, there is no library a mere .1 miles away.

The yoga place is 1.01 miles away.

Oddly, they got the small pharmacy store pegged at .14.

6.37 miles to a movie theatre? The closest is 7.4 miles.

Funny how a Lutheran church is 0.09 miles away yet the public school, 2.3 miles away, is not mentioned.

Yes, I do use my car's odometer.

In reality, I suspect my score is closer to 50.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. my current address... 58. and it's one of the only semi-walkable areas of town.

I miss my last neighborhood, it rated only 48, but it was only steps to one major bus line, and a block to the Max. :shrug: something is highly screwy with their calculations.

[phantom power]

13. It's clearly dependent on the quality of their database, and their scoring algorithm.

A scoring algorithm that included all possible factors would probably be difficult to come up with, but maybe they can make improvements to it based on feedback.

[Buzz Clik]

12. 34? Interesting.

I walk to the grocery store for small trips, or I ride my bike. We often eat at out, and the walk is shorter than the grocery store. There's a sizeable shopping center with everything that can be walked in ten minutes.

Perhaps if I lived on a grate in the middle of a mall...

[kdmorris]

14. Mine got 32 our of 100

I think that's unfair. There is lots of stuff that is walkable. We have 3 grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, a bunch of restaurants, a Hospital, Medical building with lots of doctors, eye care, 2 regular pharmacies (and they are building a Walgreens) and 3 pharmacies in grocery stores/Wal-Mart, a movie theater, the DMV, Social Security Administration, 4 banks (although I've ridden my bike to my bank, with is 4 miles away), an Office Depot, a Post Office, 2 pizza stores (Dominoes and Pizza Hut), a Nutrition depot, an outlet store and tons of other crap that I can even remember or name.

So, why does it only get a 32?

[Buzz Clik]

35. You got a 45 point deduction for living in the vicinity of a WalMart.

[kdmorris]

38. ROFL

Good point!!!

[Cassandra]

16. 100 out of 100!

Interesting that they think Sloan's Supermarket is .08 miles away since there hasn't been a Sloan's here for more than 5 years but there is a supermarket across the street.
Basically, I can walk to anything I need and if I'm going farther than I want to walk (a couple of miles if I'm carrying something) I have buses, subways and trains. Farther than that, there's the internet and shipping. The only time I use a cab or car service anymore is to and from the airport (from where I am it's pretty complicated to go by public transportation to the airports, although it is possible).

[Nikia]

17. 51

I live in a small town and am a fairly good location. There are no bookstores, movie theaters, or coffee shops in town which lowered the score. We are within walking distance of most things that we would need. I admit though that we usually drive because it is faster and even the grocery store is 0.4 miles away that can be a long way to walk with your arms full of groceries. If we did decide to give up our cars or only use them for occaision out of town trips, we could do it though.

[Tikki]

18. Someone needs to tell the folks in my city that....

my neighborhood only scored in the low 40's. The Drive we live on with it's long,
slow incline has been the favorite route for most of the walkers and joggers in this community.
In the thirty years I have lived here I have seen a baby in a stroller being walked down the hill
grow up and jog her own baby up the hill.


Tikki

[notadmblnd]

19. A total of 45 and I'd say my neighborhood is pretty walkable

Grocery Stores

0.47 Mi
Spices of India

1.04 Mi
Pontiac

1.9 Mi
Busch's Inc

1.95 Mi
Trademark Foods Inc

1.99 Mi
Trader Joe's

2.01 Mi
Food Emporium: Bake

2.01 Mi
Food Emporium

2.03 Mi
Farmer Jack: Store
Restaurants

0.21 Mi
Jimmy John's Gourme

0.22 Mi
Spargo's Coney Isla

0.23 Mi
Taste of Thailand

0.25 Mi
Rio Wraps

0.25 Mi
Subway Sandwiches &

0.41 Mi
Mr Pizza Bootleg Pa

0.42 Mi
Hungry Howie's Pizz

0.42 Mi
Moy Kong Express In
Coffee Shops

0.21 Mi
Beaner's Coffee

0.75 Mi
Starbucks Coffee

1.21 Mi
Tim Hortons

1.87 Mi
Caribou Coffee

2.07 Mi
Starbucks

2.35 Mi
Tim Hortons

2.67 Mi
Dunkin' Donuts

3.65 Mi
Starbucks Coffee Co
Bars

0.91 Mi
Red Ox Tavern

1.04 Mi
Big Buck Brewery &

1.48 Mi
Sue's Bar & Grill

1.95 Mi
Post the Bar

2.77 Mi
Stan's Dugout

3.08 Mi
Richards Tavern

3.24 Mi
Bob & Elmer's Bar

3.46 Mi
Gridiron Bar & Gril
Movie Theaters

3.1 Mi
Star Theatres-Great

3.73 Mi
Star Theatres Great

5.69 Mi
Star Rocheaster Hil

5.69 Mi
AMC Star Rochester

8.72 Mi
Uptown Palladium 12

8.72 Mi
Uptown Birmingham T

8.72 Mi
Uptown Entertainmen

8.81 Mi
Heartlande Theatre
Schools

0.36 Mi
Central Michigan Un

0.5 Mi
Pontiac School Dist

0.56 Mi
Kindercare Learning

0.8 Mi
Oakland University

0.94 Mi
Edco Publishing Inc

1.04 Mi
H & R Block: Pontia

1.09 Mi
Oakland Christian S

1.27 Mi
Private Colleges &
Parks

0.61 Mi
Auburn Hills Recrea

1.39 Mi
Galloway Lake Park

2.39 Mi
River Woods Park

2.66 Mi
Jaycee Park

2.81 Mi
River Bend Park

2.96 Mi
Oakland Park

3.32 Mi
Perry Park

3.51 Mi
South Kiwanis Park
Libraries

0.56 Mi
Auburn Hills City L

1.22 Mi
Chrysler Corp Infor

3.83 Mi
Pontiac Medical Lib

3.83 Mi
Pontiac Public Libr

4.56 Mi
St Joseph Mercy Hos

4.56 Mi
St Joseph Mercy Hos

4.69 Mi
North Oakland Medic

5.15 Mi
Oakland County Rese
Bookstores

0.64 Mi
Barnes Noble Colleg

0.79 Mi
Textbook Outlet Inc

2.51 Mi
Fanatasies Unlimite

2.51 Mi
Front Page #2

3.26 Mi
Star Records

3.85 Mi
Christian Literatur

4.16 Mi
Christian Writ Book

4.19 Mi
Borders Books & Mus
Fitness

0.48 Mi
Curves

3.43 Mi
Curves

3.58 Mi
Core Control Pilate

3.61 Mi
Concorde Swim & Fit

4.05 Mi
Curves

4.26 Mi
Planet Rock Climbin

4.93 Mi
Life Spa

4.96 Mi
Updog Yoga of Roche
Drug Stores

1.02 Mi
Rite Aid

2.01 Mi
CVS Pharmacy: Front

2.01 Mi
Food Emporium

2.03 Mi
Food Emporium: Phar

2.03 Mi
Farmer Jack: Store

2.57 Mi
Walgreen Drug Store

2.58 Mi
Walgreen Drug Store

2.58 Mi
Walgreen Drug Store
Hardware Stores

1.9 Mi
ACO Hardware

2.8 Mi
Mound Steel & Suppl

2.84 Mi
Paint Co

2.94 Mi
Grove's True Value

3.12 Mi
Sherwin-Williams

3.18 Mi
Home Depot

3.37 Mi
United Building Cen

3.44 Mi
Ceva Inc
Clothing & Music

1.17 Mi
El Rincon Musical

1.94 Mi
Foot Solutions

1.96 Mi
Leconte Limited

2.03 Mi
Village of Rocheste

2.07 Mi
J Crew

2.09 Mi
Moosejaw Mountainee

2.09 Mi
Moosejaw Mountainee

2.43 Mi
Wal-Mart Store

[MADem]

22. I dunno--I'd say your neighborhood is more "bikeable" -- very much so, in fact.

Assuming you can bike around without getting killed.

Two miles to the hardware store on foot? Eh....but on a bike, no big deal.

[MADem]

20. It's not terribly accurate, though. Entire businesses are missing,

Dunkin Donuts isn't really a "restaurant," Dairy Queen is not a "bar" and a shoe store isn't really a "clothing store."

They also seem to measure things as the crow flies, or regardless of roads. It's no help heading on foot for that 'nearby' movie theatre if you have to go up on the highway to get to it.

[ramapo]

24. Overly optimistic here

It classified a book publisher that was once located in a nearby industrial park as a bookstore and a movie advertising business as a theater. It doesn't take into account geography or sidewalks (or lack thereof). Nice idea but my neighborhood scored much higher (although only mediocre) than it deserved.

[MADem]

25. Concur. Sidewalks are VITAL to the equation. nt

[skids]

21. 55 but they missed some stuff...

...we have a nice deli/convenience store which though a bit
pricey should really have been scored in, as you can get
a good number of things there rather than the further
supermarket.

Pretty cool people run it, too. They catered a local
dem meet and greet and I've seen anti-war posters in their
windows on occasion.

Living near a college always helps.

[Warpy]

27. Mine is a low 62, but it reflects a city that was designed

for cars. Were everything not so spread out by parking lots, it would be much more walkable.

However, everything still is within walking distance and on sidewalks.

The most inhospitable places aren't specifically without amenities within walking distance, they're the ones with no sidewalks and nothing facing the street but an endless, blank expanse of two car garage doors.

This would have been more instructive had it reflected not only what is there, but how it is to get there.

[SouthPasadenaDem]

28. 92! But I knew that already.

This is why I've been able to get by without a car for over 10 years now.

It is, however, a crying shame that much of the rest of Southern California did not develop/was not developed along similar lines to my town.

[NRaleighLiberal]

29. Zero. 0 Nada Nil. It says that I can walk to my car - that's about it!

They are right in terms of ability to do anything but take the dogs for a long walk - nothing at all purchasable or attendable within walking distance.

[Nite Owl]

30. 11

surpried it was even that high! With the hills it's hard to wald even to the closest store unless you are in really good shape.

[AndyTiedye]

31. Less So Than When We Moved Here. Used to Have a Store 1/2 Mile Away. It Closed

and the space was taken over by offices, so there is little chance of it coming back.

[4dsc]

32. 18?????

And here I thought I had everything within walking distance at my local food store..

[tinrobot]

33. 78 - I thought nobody walked in LA

Well, I do. I love Silverlake.

[madokie]

34. hell here where I am we get a big assed ZERRO score

a big fucking goose egg

[NNadir]

36. Well, the computer wasn't particularly cognizant of my town.

It chose a pharmacy that was further than the one I walk to and the supermarket I walk to etc.

Except for work, I think I could live quite nicely without a car, and in fact, I try to use the car minimally, because morally I think the mindless car culture of hydrogen hypercars and the like sucks.

My town has a nice little rail station that has been converted to a Condo because it fell into disuse. But the active tracks are still here. We've suffered some McMansionization, but not as bad as some places.

We can do fairly well around here, I think, when the car culture collapses. We still have local farmland, rail infrastructure, nice little boroughs and bicycle paths. We, like all Americans, have a car culture, but I think when pressed, we can move beyond it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

37. It's counting businesses that are across the water from us. That's not helpful

Sure they are close as the crow flies, but I don't own a rowboat.

[conning]

39. My neighborhood's score is 94.

I had deliberately chosen to live in such a place. An added bonus is that 87% of electricity comes from nuclear and 8% from hydro. A small city surrounded by good farmland, and interlaced with rivers, small lakes, canals, and one of the Great Lakes. A good place to be for a little while.

[soothsayer]

40. Better consider the popsicle index, too , which is determined by a simple question:

What percentage of the people in your place believes that a child can go to the nearest place to buy a popsicle or other treat, and return home alone safely?

Your answer gives you the Popsicle Index or Solari Index of your place. The Popsicle Index is the % of people who believe a child can leave their home, go to the nearest place to buy a popsicle or snack, and come home alone safely. For example, if you feel that 50% of your neighbors believe a child in your neighborhood would be safe, then your Popsice Index is 50%. The Solari Index is based on gut level feelings of the people who have intimate knowledge of a place, rather than facts and figures.

The real purpose of the Popsicle Index is to start a conversation in every neighborhood and village on earth about what it means to feel safe and secure where you live and work and the people and things that contribute or drain that feeling.

http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/popsicleIdx.html

[Greyskye]

41. 9/100

With no sidewalks or streetlights, and lots and lots of hills. Nope - not very walkable at all. Even biking is tough! :(

[diane in sf]

42. Mines 98--but if I lose my rent-controlled flat who knows where I'll go!