The Conservative Planner says that Walk Score has bugs that become apparent when you look at the walkability ratings for Atlanta:
"Just because Walk Score says it can provide a walkability score for any address doesn't mean you should believe it. Atlanta's lack of walkability is legendary and Buford Highway, a motorist's dream when it comes to wide, fast surface streets, was profiled on the PBS series 'Blueprint America'. Our friends at Walk Score have some explaining to do. The intersection of Buford Highway and Oak Shadow Drive NE (Atlanta GA 30345 if you're interested in seeing for yourself) is said by Walk Score to be '74 – Very Walkable'. If I'm an engineer at the Georgia DOT who doesn't want to improve the street, I'm pointing to Walk Score and telling the planners that Buford Highway is just what Walk Score says: Very Walkable."
Comments
The Scientific Method...
... would lead one to suggest enhancement of the WalkScore algorithms and criteria to address the shortfalls so helpfully enumerated in the article. Conservatives may generally dispute the perfectibility of human beings, but surely faulty methodologies are capable of incremental improvement?
Street Smart Walk Score
Here's a link to the new "Street Smart" Walk Score that will be launching soon:
http://blog.walkscore.com/2010/08/street-smart-walk-score/
I also thought this post from Human Transit was a great analysis of these critiques of Walk Score:
http://www.humantransit.org/2010/10/walkscorecom-and-the-lure-of-the-sin...
Thanks!