What’s Your Walk Score?
Posted by Johan Cyprich on 24 Sep 2007 | Tagged as: Reviews
Finding a place is to live is one of the most stressful activities we experience at one time or another. Its not just a nice home we look for, but also one to close proximity to schools, parks, restaurants, and stores. These should ideally be within walking distance which is better for your health and the environment, instead of driving a car to these locations.
You can determine the walkability of a home in a neighbourhood with the Walk Score web site. I found this web site through Millionster.com. It determines the quality of an address using a patent-pending algorithm. A score from 1 to 100 is generated with the following results:
- 90 – 100 = Walkers’ Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
- 70 – 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
- 50 – 70 = Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
- 25 – 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
- 0 – 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
While Walk Score doesn’t take into consideration of all of the factors in walkability, it gives you a good idea what to expect. Of course, the best way to determine the quality of a neighbourhood is to drive there, get out of your car, and walk around. See for yourself if its worth moving there.
A useful feature of the Walk Score web site is that displays a map of the neighbourhood and the locations and distances to the schools, stores, etc.
You can check the walkability of an address with the following widget.
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2 Comments »
on 14 Nov 2007 at 5:31 am 1.Sarah said …
I believe that walk score is cool, but nowadays more and more people drive cars. Homes are often located in an area where some establishments are easier to get to by car than on foot. I’ve recently found a type of service on Fizber which is called Drive Score. It shows a map of what establishments are in your neighborhood and calculates a Drive Score based on the number of places within a convenient driving distance.
on 14 Nov 2007 at 4:14 pm 2.Johan Cyprich said …
Drive Score is a very useful site. The URL for this site is drivescore.fizber.com. I think both walk and drive scores should be used when trying to find a good location to live.