Going beyond the analytical parameters of the popular Walk Score website, a new site aims to broaden the scope of analysis to include more qualitative information, such as safety and streetscape, in determining which areas are pedestrian friendly.
As walkable urbanism emerges as a new paradigm in real estate development, and studies demonstrate the value of walkable places to economic and personal health, the marketplace for defining and rating places friendly to pedestrians is rapidly expanding. Ben Schiller profiles Walkonomics, a new site that aims to provide a new tool for measuring walkability by aiming to build "as comprehensive a picture as possible."
"Services such as Walk Score
already score proximity to restaurants and shops (and more); how long
your commute is; and allow you to compare areas. But, according to Adam
Davies [founder of the site], that's only part of the story of walkability. Ideally, you also
want to know things like how safe the streets are, whether the sidewalks
are wide enough, how clear the signage is, and also--less tangibly--how
clean the street is, and whether it's relaxing and fun. Distance, in
other words, is not the only factor--perhaps not even the most important
factor."
"Currently covering about 600,000 streets in the U.K. and U.S., the site
is based on a mixture of government-sourced open data, and crowd-sourced
information from users. Streets are scored across eight categories,
based on data like traffic activity and crime statistics. Users can then
give their own impressions, shifting the scores over time."
FULL STORY: A New Site Calculates Your Neighborhood’s Walkability
Oregon Passes Exemption to Urban Growth Boundary
Cities have a one-time chance to acquire new land for development in a bid to increase housing supply and affordability.
Where Urban Design Is Headed in 2024
A forecast of likely trends in urban design and architecture.
Savannah: A City of Planning Contrasts
From a human-scales, plaza-anchored grid to suburban sprawl, the oldest planned city in the United States has seen wildly different development patterns.
Washington Tribes Receive Resilience Funding
The 28 grants support projects including relocation efforts as coastal communities face the growing impacts of climate change.
Adaptive Reuse Bills Introduced in California Assembly
The legislation would expand eligibility for economic incentives and let cities loosen regulations to allow for more building conversions.
LA's Top Parks, Ranked
TimeOut just released its list of the top 26 parks in the L.A. area, which is home to some of the best green spaces around.
City of Rochester
Boston Harbor Now
City of Bellevue
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Birmingham, Alabama
City of Laramie, Wyoming
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.