Looking hard, and not finding, LA on the list of least walkable cities... I guess it's a given? I used to walk from my apartment in Cobble Hill, Bkln, to my job in the West Village. So beautiful!
I do not see Miami as a walkable city. Lots of highways, poor public transportation and long distances.
It could be walkable around some
neighborhoods but no as a town.
It seems to be in 4th place!
The 'judges' are much to subjective for me. Selected areas of some of the cities listed are indeed quite walkable, but the city as a whole is not--Los Angeles jumps quickly to mind. Lots of room for bias in just this aspect.
And there are technical factors that seem to be overlooked. Climate, for instance, needs to be considered. The climate in some cities is fine for walking all year round.
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I'm poor. I cannot afford the $250 mo/ car miscellaneous expenses. ($120 in insurance/mo, $80 gas/mo, $50 maintenance/mo), let alone the car. So I've been living without a car for 2 years.
If you cannot afford a car, this is what I've found to be helpful (I'm obvi. single).
1. Getting a bike (Will let you travel upwards to 10 miles in a trip. Outfit it with saddle bags, or bring a backpack with you. Always wear a helmet, bring bright lights, and try and wear neon)
2. Place yourself in an area you can walk. If you live within 2 miles of both work and the grocery store, it's easily walkable. Make sure you bring an EMPTY backpack when going grocery shopping.
3. Make friends and rely on them. When they offer to give you rides, accept it. Also, give them stuff at the end of the year ,whether it be a small baked treat, a small gift card to a coffee shop, or just a thank you note, write it and give it to them.
4. If you have access to a transportation system, use it. It can be pretty cheap. The only thing that is bad is if the stops are inconvenient or non-existent, and if work.
Your shoes will wear out much faster than your friends who don't walk. Make sure you have a couple. Leave your nice shoes at your office or place of work, and walk in sneakers if more comfortable.
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@Charles Great thoughts.
But you overlook parking.
Most Americans do the same thing.
But parking is expensive of land and structures.
One of the saddest sights in walking around Honolulu (Waikiki-Ala Moana-Kakaako-Iwilei/Palama) are the numerous and ugly parking garages and parking lots. And parking fees that are usually unseen or ridiculously below their actual cost to society.
Good article. How about another one on bike scores? Maybe soon there can be electric bike scores and electric scooter scores. In many cities leaving the car at home or not having one at all may become increasingly attractive.
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The most walkable cities have very high population densities for US cities. More people per square mile, more activity. There is no definition for what is walkable. Nearly 1/3 of travel on Miami beach is by bus, while even more pedestrian. And 30,000 units have been built in about 6-sq miles. No other 'new' urban area has such high densities.
@Fla Joe Good for Miami Beach. Sad that such a huge investment in new housing and infrastructure is going to be underwater before long.
Neighborhoods in some of these cities and suburbs would become infinitely more walkable - at least for school children - if crossing guards were put in place.
I cannot get over how many of my friends' children across the US don't walk to school for even short distances (under a mile). And no buses. So parents are left to drive their kids and complaints and dangers of the car drop off lines abound.
Many say, "I'd let them walk but you don't understand, my kids would have to cross (X) busy street." Crossing guards solve this problem for sure. And those kids walking then builds a culture of walking.
Our town put in crossing guards a little over 10 years ago after a long hiatus and hundreds of kids walk daily. It is awesome.
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@Kelly In ancient times the older students had the honor of being AAA closing guards.
@Kelly many parent I know walk with or drive their kids to school because they are afraid to let their kids do anything alone. We need more free range parents who let kids be alone to fend for themselves, make decisions on their own and learn how to grow up.
@Kelly
Great thought!!
Please pass it to Honolulu's 'city fathers': They are closing pedestrian crosswalks. And they have many standard intersections with crosswalks on only three of the four 'sides'.
You may also note that investment is mass transit makes a city walkable. Don't build highways, build trains, both above and below ground.
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Am I being too political by noting that nine of the ten most walkable cities are in blue states (plus DC) while all ten of the least walkable are in red states?
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@Salem Sage
Republicans are very friendly with oil and gas, look of the history of the underground in LA
Try getting around Boston after snowstorms or during the winter months in general. For weeks the sidewalks and streets are difficult to get around via foot. Impossible if you are elderly, handicapped or in a wheel chair. The icy sidewalks are hard on the falls and fractures are not uncommon.
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Although I don't disagree with your list of Walkable cities, Walkscore.com rates my house as not highly walkable.
Hmm, let's see...I can walk to the elementary, middle and high school. Also the train, the town hall, the library, the post office, sports fields, the grocery store, the pharmacy, boutique shops, multiple salons, car dealership, multiple gyms/yoga studios, several restaurants, at least one church, town walking paths, a pond and a college.
If that isn't walkable, I don't know what is.
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@MomT
Yes, a quick look at their list told me that it is yet too subjective for prime time. And it overlooked the technical aspects of walking and climate. Year-round walking is difficult in many cities.
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@DrKick agree with you. Take San Francisco. I could walk there easily when I was young. But now that I am in my 70's the frequent hills would kill me.
I live in Long Beach and it's true. At any time of the day or night there are people walking their dogs (also SUPER dog friendly), walking to work/stores/coffee houses/restaurants. It builds such a wonderful sense of community.
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As is true for many cities, specific neighborhoods within in Indianapolis are highly walkable. I live in one of them and annually have to send a picture of my odometer to my insurance company to prove that I have driven as few miles in my car as I reported.
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San Francisco is indeed lovely. But actually the public transport isn't extensive and the inclines in some areas are killer. My son and I recently spent a quick 48 hours there and while we walked for miles, we frequently had to use ride share apps if we want to get from say North Beach to Golden Gate Park in less than an hour. Actual transit times might say 45 minutes but the wait for buses (you have to take 2) adds quite a bit of time.
The most walkable cities are also far more expensive to live in than the least walkable. I would find it interesting and informative to explore why.
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@C Wolfe Walkscore is a metric used to evaluate livability and quality of life. Those characteristics attract density and density drive up prices. Capitalist supply and demand at work. However, if you eliminate the cost of owning a car from your budget those "expensive" cities become a lot more affordable and since these dense cities are usually where the high paying jobs are located it works out.
I would definately put Charlotte NC
at the bottom of the list, any list, but especially for walkability. Also
on the bottom of the list for cultural attractions. I assumed it was a major city when I spent a few days there as a trailing spouse in the 90s, thinking I’d explore the Museums, but I couldn’t find any. I ended up walking a very long road out to a mall to a Border’s Bookstore for cultural enrichment. There was no public transport. It was depressing, but I felt more depressed for all the NYCers who relocated there when their companies moved to Charlotte. The rocking chairs at the airport were charming though. That would not happen at JFK.
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@BBB It's a little bit better now, albeit 25 years later.
I am a New Yorker who visited Jacksonville for work. I concur that these cities are on opposite ends of the spectrum.
It would be near impossible to live in Jacksonville without a car.
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@Mike. I live in Jacksonville and yes, you must have a car. Public transportation here is terrible. Guess that’s the price one pays to live here.
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Actually, if you were paying the price to live there, you would have
excellent public transportation.
But you’re not.
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I realize that this article is about American cities. But I am happy to report that Canada's 3 major cities are eminently walkable as long as you live somewhere near their centres and not in the suburbs. I moved to Downtown Vancouver and all my shopping (groceries and otherwise), my doctors and hospitals, and yoga are all within a 30 minute walk or 15 minute bike ride. My poor car gathers dust in the parking garage most of the time. I love getting my cardio without going to a gym. And if it is pouring rain there is very good public transportation or my trusty umbrella.
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I wish they also did ranking this for midsize cities. It should be part of all "best cities in America" ranking criteria!
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@Treetop There is a calculator in the link. Type in your city.
Is it a coincidence that the most walkable cities are in Blue states or are municipalities that vote Blue?
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@HapinOregon
They are also the wealthiest and most densely populated.
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I grew up in Miami and it is definitely not a walkable city! I have lived in Boston, NY City and Washington DC since then, all very walkable and livable without a car. You cannot live in Miami without a car. I won’t trust WalkScore anymore!!
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I imagine Miami’s on the list because of its several walkable neighborhoods (South Beach, Brickell, Downtown, Coconut Grove, Downtown Coral Gables to name some). Many of these areas have seen growth in population in recent years in part because of the city’s awful traffic which makes living in more walkable environments better served by public transit increasingly attractive. I’m guessing the city’s changed since the poster grew up here.
Miami! Walk-able? This is one of the most car-centric cities in North America. If you lived in the Little Havana, Univ of Miami Or Coconut Grove areas, you might be able to walk to some amenities. I lived in South Miami in the late 1970's with my new wife. The population since then has roughly doubled. In general, you can't get far in Miami without a car. If you can figure out how to get around effectively, Miami is one of the coolest cities in the USA. It has also become very expensive to live there. Speaking fluent Spanish is, like a car, almost a must there.
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Some neighborhoods of Chicago aren't all that pedestrian-friendly. I got hit by someone driving a pickup truck in Jefferson Park this year. I was in a crosswalk.
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San Francisco may be a lovely place to visit although it’s not on my Favorite Cities list. But walkable? Only if you like walking up and down extremely steep inclines and trying very hard not to appear winded or scared for your life if you take a tumble!
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@Blue Jay
"based on criteria like the proximity of stores, businesses and other daily necessities."
If bad drivers counted against this score, Boston would be dead last. I can vouch from a lifetime of experience.
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@Blue Jay
Bad drivers are everywhere. They would hit other vehicles if there were no pedestrians to hit and they would hit lamp posts if there were nothing else to hit.
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