For people still looking for an answer to the question “does walkability matter?”, here is some more solid evidence from Cities to add to the mountain.

In this study, researchers examined 170 neighborhoods in a medium-sized city to see whether walkability influences neighborhood sustainability. Until 2008, there had not been a reliable measure of the social, health, and economic impact of walkable neighborhoods. This dramatically changed when scholars were able to quantify walkability with tools such as Walkscore™; which measures how accessible daily living activities are by foot. The researchers investigated how walkability impacts the quality and sustainability of a neighborhood. They developed models that evaluated the correlation between an area’s Walkscore™ and four broad measures of urban sustainability: neighborhood housing valuation; foreclosures; and crime. Our analysis shows a positive impact not only on neighborhood housing valuation but also on neighborhood crime and foreclosure. These results provide policy opportunities for planners and citizen groups to pursue strategies to encourage the development of more walkable and sustainable neighborhoods.

I know I’m a broken record, but getting around under our own muscle power for most trips most of the time is the key to (in no particular order):

• reducing carbon emissions
• reducing air pollution from vehicle emissions, especially particulates which cause asthma and heart disease – this will add quality years to all our lives
• solving drunk driving
• saving lots and lots of money that we used to spend on cars
• saving enormous amounts of space in cities that used to be used for car maneuvering and parking – space that can now be used for relaxing, recreating, habitat, housing, economic or commercial activity
• creating space for people – yes, you can increase density and reduce crowding at the same time
• increasing physical health through more physical activity, decreasing obesity, diabetes and heart disease, adding years to peoples’ lives
• improving psychological health through physical activity
• increasing social interaction
• increasing business activity and profits
• creating an ecosystem of innovative, creative people, businesses, nonprofit and government agencies