A Stroll, A Wander, A Saunter, A Hike, A Promenade

We all have our pet subjects. One of mine — you may have noticed — is “walkability”. So I was delighted to read that the wonderful Walk Score is soon to launch “America’s Most Walkable Neighborhoods”, a ranking of the 40 largest cities in the U.S. Can’t wait to see it.

In the meantime, it is revealing to see how Walk Score defines a “walkable neighborhood”. The parameters are much broader than I would have imagined and encompass demographics as well as proximity to useful resources.

A walkable neighborhood is, according to them, a community which has the following characteristics:

• A center: a discernible center, whether it’s a shopping district, a main street, or a public space.
• Density: The neighborhood is dense enough for local businesses to flourish and for public transportation to be cost effective.
• Mixed income, mixed use: Housing is provided for everyone who works in the neighborhood: young and old, singles and families, rich and poor. Businesses and residences are located near each other.
• Parks and public space: There are plenty of public places to gather and play.
• Accessibility: The neighborhood is accessible to everyone and has wheelchair access, plenty of benches with shade, sidewalks on all streets, etc.
• Well connected, speed controlled streets: Streets form a connected grid that improves traffic by providing many routes to any destination. Streets are narrow to control speed, and shaded by trees to protect pedestrians.
• Pedestrian-centric design: Buildings are placed close to the street to cater to foot traffic, with parking lots relegated to the back.
• Close schools and workplaces: Schools and workplaces are close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.

I would be interested to hear from readers which neighborhoods they think fit some or all of these descriptions. Central and South Berkeley? Rockridge? Montclair Village? El Cerrito?

Walk Score have also devised a couple of very cool maps which clearly demonstrate the difference between a walkable area and its opposite:

To me, these maps bring to mind the difference between taking a one-mile walk in Berkeley and in Piedmont.

Previous posts that have addressed walkability issues:

On San Leandro (or why it’s tiresome to buy underwear in Berkeley)
Montclair: is this the new hot spot for savvy Bay Area buyers?
Notes on a neighborhood: Chabot
Rockridge duplex offers price and fixing potential
Berkeley: can’t get enough of those views
Mapping the walkability factor