GREEN BLOG

Walk Score: Do you know your Walk Score?

POSTED SEPTEMBER 30, 2011

The website walkscore.com allows anyone in America to measure the walkability of his or her neighborhood, using Google maps and other sources to determine how easily a resident or office worker might be able to dash over to get a sandwich or a book without driving their car.

Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100:

• 90–100 is a Walker's Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
• 70–89 is considered Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
• 50–69 is Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities are within walking distance.
• 25–49 is Car-Dependent — A few amenities are within walking distance.
• 0–24 is Totally Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

The idea behind the site and the company, Walk Score, which was launched in July 2007, is to promote walkable neighbourhoods as "one of the simplest and most effective solutions to halt climate change, improve our health and strengthen our communities." Walk Score’s vision is for every property listing to read: "Beds: 3 Baths: 2 Walk Score: 84." The company wants walkability and transportation costs to be a key part of choosing where to live.

Economists and realtors are just now learning how to use new tools like this to shape behavior or to measure the likelihood that behaviors will change. For example, it’s becoming clear that properties with a high Walk Score retain their value better than those with a low score.

The creators of Walk Score were directly inspired by Sightline Institute director Alan Durning, particularly by the blog he wrote during his year of living “car-lessly.”

My home’s Walk Score is 65, classified as “Somewhat Walkable.” My office, located in downtown Eugene, Oregon boasts a Walk Score of 98, placing it in the midst of a “Walker’s Paradise.” A surprising number of architects likewise boast high Walk Scores. Architects—being urban life-loving creatures—tend to locate their practices in the vibrant, interesting, and walkable neighborhoods.

Conversely, the Walk Score of many of our fellow Americans is an indication of how car-dependent our society has become. As architects—as leaders in the shaping of our built environment—we must encourage our clients whenever we can to appreciate the surprising benefits of walkable communities to our health, our finances, and our communities. This means offering guidance in the selection of sites and acting as advocates for compact growth.

One of the unintended benefits of Walk Score may be to serve as an adjunct to the LEED rating system by providing a means to further validate a project’s sustainability. I’ve seen too many LEED-certified projects hailed for their “green” design that are only accessible by automobile. How sustainable is that? By factoring into the equation a project’s proximity to the core of a walkable community, we may come closer to certification of true sustainability.

Alan Durning argues that we cannot rest until everyone embraces the principles of sustainability. He asserts that we’re on the cusp of an era of a new materialism—a simpler, less expensive, yet richer and greener future. He believes walkable communities are the solution to some of our biggest shared challenges, from childhood obesity to social isolation, from crash deaths to disappearing farmland, from the high price of gas to the architectural blight of strip development.

If you haven’t already done so, check out Walk Score. Become a crusader for the development of compact, pedestrian-friendly communities. It’s time for all of us who espouse sustainability to walk the walk.

Randy Nishimura, AIA, CCS is Senior Associate with Robertson/Sherwood/Architects in Eugene, Oregon. He’s a past-president for the Southwestern Oregon Chapter of the American Institute of Architects but really just an average architect finding his way in a rapidly changing profession. You can find more of Randy’s thoughts about architecture, urban design, and sustainability on his own blog at www.sworegonarchitect.blogspot.com. Follow his tweets at @sworegonarch

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