The words “walkability” and “connectivity” have probably been engraved on my brain due to the extensive work the Planning Commission has been doing on our draft Land Development Code (zoning ordinances), so I was interested but not at all surprised to learn that there can be a clear economic benefit to living in neighborhoods or communities that meet certain criteria for walkability:
A study published in August by C.E.O.’s for Cities. . . looked at the sales of 90,000 homes in 15 markets to estimate how much value was associated with something called the Walk Score. Using a 100-point scale, this score rates the number of destinations, including libraries, parks and coffee shops, within walking distance of a home. . . The study found that houses with above-average Walk Scores commanded a premium.
I wrote a post about WalkScore a couple of years ago. Some parts of Northfield score very highly; other parts are much worse than the national average. How does your address do? Does this tell us anything about corrections we should make in our built environment? Is it valid?
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