January 26, 2009

Your Walk Score

My Walk Score's better than yours. My Walk Score in Columbia Heights is 91 out of 100 — Walkers' Paradise.

So what’s Walk Score, you ask? According to its website:

How It Works
Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.

What does my score mean?
Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. Here are general guidelines for interpreting your score:
- 90–100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
- 70–89 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
- 50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
- 25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
- 0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!


The top 20 neighborhoods for walking in Washington, D.C. are:

1 Dupont Circle - 99
2 Logan Circle - 98
3 Downtown - 97
4 U Street Corridor - 97
5 Foggy Bottom - 95
6 Mount Vernon Square - 95
7 Adams Morgan - 93
8 Kalorama - 92
9 Friendship Heights - 90
10 Georgetown - 90
11 Shaw - 88
12 Capitol Hill - 87
13 Chevy Chase - 83
14 Cleveland Park - 83
15 Columbia Heights - 83
16 Woodley Park - 82
17 South West - 81
18 Glover Park - 80
19 Mount Pleasant - 77
20 Ledroit Park - 75


I think all real estate deals should disclose their Walk Score. I also think doctors should tell their patients what their Walk Scores are, much like their cholesterol level, weight and height.

What’s your Walk Score?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hah, mine is 92! :)
-Ammo

Draffish said...

Amazingly Wheaton MD is also a 91 out of a 100

Mumbo Sauce said...

Not to brag or anything, but my address got a 100... :)

007 in Africa said...

Ammo, why is it that you always beat me by one point? Arrgh, so frustating. But then again, you do live in New York, which by default, already puts you in the high 80s.

Draffish, really? I need to check out Wheaton. That was not my impression of the area at all.

Mumbo Sauce, where the heck do you live? The only way I can imagine someone getting a 100, would be to own a house between a Giant and a Target.

Anonymous said...

Oh dear. Mine got a 34. Not so good, huh?

Draffish said...

I was a little surprised but then again the metro, restaurants, grocers, etc are all within a mile or two if you don't mind almost getting run over.

007 in Africa said...

Wow Amanda! At least you have a car ;)

Draffish, Walk Score does recognize the limitation of the program. This is how they explain it on their website:

**How It Doesn't Work: Known Issues with Walk Score**
We'll be the first to admit that Walk Score is just an approximation of walkability. There are a number of factors that contribute to walkability that are not part of our algorithm:

-Public transit: Good public transit is important for walkable neighborhoods.
-Street width and block length: Narrow streets slow down traffic. Short blocks provide more routes to the same destination and make it easier to take a direct route.
-Street design: Sidewalks and safe crossings are essential to walkability. Appropriate automobile speeds, trees, and other features also help.
-Safety from crime and crashes: How much crime is in the neighborhood? How many traffic accidents are there? Are streets well-lit?
-Pedestrian-friendly community design: Are buildings close to the sidewalk with parking in back? Are destinations clustered together?
-Topography: Hills can make walking difficult, especially if you're carrying groceries.
-Freeways and bodies of water: Freeways can divide neighborhoods. Swimming is harder than walking.
-Weather: In some places it's just too hot or cold to walk regularly.


I like their rather logical explaination of "swimming is harder than walking" :)

FoggyDew said...

Columbia Pike in Arlington scored a very walkable 86. Not too shabby. I have to say, it's better than I expected.

007 in Africa said...

FoggyDew, guess that'll be good for the running :) I like your new shoes by the way!

Victoria said...

Mine's 72. Good thing I have a bike.

Mumbo Sauce said...

So I just noticed that you responded to my comment. I kept thinking that I told you my user name for this but I guess not. Anyway, just in case I want to remain anonymous to other people, but I will tell you this:
-I live in Chinatown
-I'm your friend's younger sister.

Anyway, back to the grind at Census. (Why, is that another clue???)

007 in Africa said...

Mumbo Sauce, I totally know who you are now :) Took me a while though.