How walkable is your hood?

I recently came across the very cool website Walkscore.com (via the HGTV.ca blog), which calculates how 'walkable' your home and neighbourhood is (so long as you're in Canada, the U.S. or the U.K.), by considering factors like public space, shopping, local businesses and accessibility to roads, sidewalks and trails.

The website uses an algorithm that considers the nearby amenities, awarding points based on proximity up to one mile, and measure how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle, ranking it on a scale of 0-100. The 90-100 range is a "Walkers' Paradise" while 0-24 is "Car Dependent."

My new home has a middling rating on the walkable scale, a "Somewhat Walkable" 60 out of 100, which means some amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips may still require bikes, public transit or a car.

I was surprised by this, seeing as I'll be a mere 10 minute walk to the Danforth, but the service is still super handy, as it lets you see all the nearby services mapped out.

Before I even move in, I'm able to find the nearby cafes, restaurants, grocery stores, etc., along with the distance from my house, (except, apparently for LCBO and Beer Stores, which were a major factor in my friends' approval of our new neighbourhood!)

So, my walkscore is 60. What's yours?

Comments

[mum-in-law]

Our neighbourhood is a 20. Not a great surprise, since we're in a small city and don't live close to the downtown area. I keep meaning to get a mountain bike for those short trips! Great site!

[John]

Yonge and Eglington - 88/100! Being close to the Mt. Pleasant strip of stores really boosts us up as well

[Angie Oliveira]

Thanks for the website. I'm moving out of Mississauga with a walk score of 20 to a neighbourhood in Toronto with a score of 80. This is great since I don't have a car.

Good luck with the move.