Thursday, August 28, 2008

Walk Score

How walkable is your neighborhood? Your office building? Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc., and then sets a score (from 0 to 100). The higher the score, the easier it is to complete errands on foot instead of by driving a car. Their general guidelines for the score are as follows (and I quote from their How it works page):
  • 90–100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
  • 70–89 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.
  • 50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.
  • 25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.
  • 0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!
I'm not going to go into how their algorithm works. You can go check out the How it works page or their FAQ. I'm still playing around with it, but I have not seen any results that I would greatly disagree with.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had to thank you personally for adding my blog, brainwise.

Today I've been feeling a special warmth from my friends and fellow travellers in the western Pagan Reconstructionist movement because I am assured that I can truly count myself as a part of your movement, despite my Indian and eastern roots :-D

Thank you so much and gods bless.

Anonymous said...

My walk score is 35. That’s not so bad.
This service can be rather useful especially for those
who are going to buy a house or just want to estimate their
present location. I have also tried one more service at
http://drivescore.fizber.com/. It is called Drive Score.
With the help of it you can see how close establishments
are by car. My result is 50. Drive Score calculates your
score based on the number of places within a convenient
driving distance. The greater the number of businesses
nearby the higher the drive score.

Brainwise said...

Indrani:

Consider yourself a valued part of the community!

Brainwise said...

Nikka:

That Drive Score looks pretty interesting, too. Thanks for stopping by and for sharing the link!

deadman said...

My walk score is 53… I was rather upset with it. And I was surprised to know that there is another score called to evaluate my house. I found the way to calculate it online at Fizber site http://drivescore.fizber.com/. I’ve got much better results – 86

Brainwise said...

Thanks for dropping by, deadman. Nikka pointed out Drivescore last month.

I'm curious ... how did you come across my blog? And how did you find out about Drivescore?