Surprising Findings about Walkable Neighborhoods: Would YOU Walk?

If you could live in a walkable apartment community, would you choose to walk? The research is intriguing!

Sidewalk life can be one of the best parts of urban apartment living. The ability to walk right out of your apartment and take a stroll to the nearest park, corner café, bar or even your place of work is an incredible perk, for those lucky enough to enjoy it.

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At least, that’s what we often think when we describe the ideal apartment neighborhood. But according to recent studies, while “walkable” neighborhoods may be viewed desirably by residents, just because they can get around easily on foot doesn’t necessarily mean they will.

Sidewalk life: the research
People love walkable neighborhoods, according to researchers at the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. think tank. In order to determine just how much residents actually value access to sidewalk life, the Brookings researchers rated metropolitan neighborhoods in D.C. on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being non-walkable, 5 being very walkable) and then analyzed the rental rates in these areas. They found that in highly-walkable neighborhoods like Dupont Circle, a resident would pay nearly 3 to 4 times as much rent as someone living in a non-walkable neighborhood.

To be rated a highly-walkable “5,” a metro neighborhood typically included a lot of densely-developed space — many people living in one area, great access to public transportation, and a variety of interesting cultural, shopping and entertainment options. It’s no surprise that residents would value living in these areas and would pay more to have access to these enjoyable amenities. But what was surprising was just how much of a price difference there was in rent between these bustling urban areas and slightly less-walkable neighborhoods in the same city.

While residents may place a high dollar value on sidewalk life, there’s additional research to indicate that many don’t actually take advantage of walkable neighborhoods. After studying both the recreational and transportation walking habits of 1,000 women in Seattle, a professor at the University of Washington determined that easy access to sidewalks and desirable destinations didn’t necessarily motivate people to walk more. The research seems to suggest that people need to feel that walking is more convenient than driving, a sense which typically happens most often in very dense urban areas where it’s a pain to own and drive a vehicle.

If you could choose to walk, would you?
For those of us living in less-walkable neighborhoods, it may seem foolish to take perfectly good sidewalks for granted. Whether it’s for recreation or transportation, walking has many benefits both for the environment and our health.

But if you could choose to live in an apartment that was very walkable, where would you walk? The Brookings study indicates you might take advantage of restaurants, grocery stores, retail shops, parks and other interesting destinations, if you could. In fact, the most walkable neighborhoods in the Brookings research enjoyed a strong economy thanks to the loyal patronage of residents.

Discover your neighborhood’s walkability
Does this talk of sidewalk life have you itching to get up and get out on foot? Check out your area’s WalkScore to discover nearby destinations and determine how safe and easy it is to get around. Even if your immediate neighborhood doesn’t rate highly, you can use walking scores to find other pedestrian-friendly destinations in your city.

Photo credit: Shutterstock / krivenko