The newest rankings of the most walkable cities in the United States, courtesy of Walk Score, contains a few surprises along with its standard annual recognition of New York City.
"In an announcement that will surprise no one, Walk Score, the company that produces the go-to metric for walkable cities, has once again ranked New York as the number one most walkable large U.S. city," reports Richard Florida. He also notes that New York extended its lead over San Francisco for the top spot.
But there is also reason for optimism that cities can achieve improvements in the their Walk Score and, thus, their rankings among the leaders in the country. "Miami has jumped three spots, for instance, from the eighth most walkable large U.S. city in 2011 to fifth place today." Florida goes on to explain some of the reasons Miami has improved its walkability.
Florida notes also that Detroit has also achieved substantial improvements in walkability, especially around Downtown.
"Miami and Detroit exhibit very different approaches to walkability. Detroit’s transformation has been more business-driven and centrally led, while Miami’s has been more organic and neighborhood-based," writes Florida. "But they both show that walkability can grow in places where it previously did not exist."
FULL STORY: 2015's Most Walkable U.S. Cities
New York Continues to Dominate the Walk Score Rankings
It's almost as if every city not named New York is competing for second place when Walk Score releases its annual ranking of most walkable cities. Of course, the top ten is quite an accomplishment: so welcome to the club, Long Beach, California.
Meet NYC’s New Office of Livable Streets
The NYC DOT program will build on pandemic-era initiatives to promote safe and comfortable streets that enhance community and expand uses beyond just moving cars.
Orlando Pledges to Improve Walkability
A city report highlights successes and failures in building safer transportation infrastructure and reducing VMT in 2023.
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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.
