Walkability: how easy is it to walk in your city?
I have this constant jealousy of everyone who can ride their bike to work. I know it sounds ridiculous and you may be wondering why I do not just move closer to work or work closer to home, but its more complicated than that. I live along the coast away from most shops, jobs, and other necessities. At school everything is in walking distance for me (class, food, fun, friends, ect.), but at home I have to drive everywhere I want to go.
Image courtesy of La.streetsblog.org
Part of me loves living on the coast where I have space to live and play without feeling like I am being crowded in by all of the other people, and yet the rest of me thinks it would be pretty nice to hop on my bike whenever I need something. Once I graduate from school one of the main considerations for where I will live (other than employment options) will be the walkability score of the neighborhood. Until then I am left with my jealousy and day dreaming.
Image courtesy of Reno County
Curious about how easy it is to walk in your town? The website Walk Score makes it easy to know on a scale of 100 how walkable your city is, but it also lets you know what is around you, gives you directions, and lets you calculate how long it will take you to walk, ride, or drive to a location of your choice. The website is an important tool in improving urban planning as well as encouraging people to live more sustainably.
My town got a 45 out of 100, how about yours?
