Want to live in a walker’s paradise? Looking to find a house where you don’t have to get in your car every
time you want to get a litre of milk? Introducing Walk Score @ http://walkscore.com.
All you have to do is enter your address, and it finds the distance to the nearest
grocery stores, post offices, restaurants, libraries, movie theaters
and other useful destinations, and then assigns a score based on the
walkability of your location. Walk Score is the perfect tool for anyone
looking to find a home or office in a walkable neighborhood.
Walk Score is powered by Google Maps.
Quick snippet from their web site:
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.
Your Walk Score is a number between 0 and 100. The walkability of an
address depends on how far you are comfortable walking–after all,
everything is within walking distance if you have the time. 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 – 90 = Very Walkable: It’s possible to get by without owning a car.
- 50 – 70 = Some Walkable Locations:
Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many
everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car. - 25 – 50 = Not Walkable: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
- 0 – 25 = Driving Only: Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
Hmmmm, I have a walk score of 58 out of 100 (Some Walkable Locations: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.)
Not that accurate considering that I live at the heart of Point Grey Village (Vancouver, BC). Perhaps Google Maps needs to update it’s data sources.