What’s Your Walk Score?

Every wondered how your neighbourhood ranks in terms of walkability? Go to Walk Score, type in your address and see your grade. Sadly my home gets a poor walk score of 28 out of 100 which means I am car-dependent. The only place I can easily walk to is a convenience store.

Unfortunately the city I live in is a shining example of urban sprawl—it has expanded outwards rather than upwards encouraging car dependency. Luckily the public transportation in my neighbourhood is decent with the addition of a new bus station and light rail transit system which can get you downtown in 20 minutes.

Before I was married and had a baby, I lived and worked downtown. My little shoebox of a condo got a walk score of 75 out of 100.  How I miss being able to walk down the street to get a coffee, go shopping and eat at a restaurant! But with 450 sq. ft. of living space, it was barely big enough to fit me and all my stuff let alone a husband, baby and puppy.

Someday I would love to live in a good, walkable neighbourhood. People who are lucky enough to live in well-designed, walkable neighbourhoods tend to drive less and walk more—a winning proposition for your health and the environment. I have always wanted to be able to walk to the grocery store and bring home my groceries in a little red wagon. (It’s a weird thing to want, I know.) Until then, I’ll have to be satisfied with walking to the convenience store to get a slurpie.

Here are the top 10 most walkable U.S. cities according to Walk Score:

1. San Francisco, CA
2. New York, NY
3. Boston, MA
4. Chicago, IL
5. Philadelphia, PA
6. Seattle, WA
7. Washington D.C.
8. Long Beach, CA
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. Portland, OR

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