DC is Urban Walker’s Dream
Posted on December 5, 2007 - Filed Under VA/DC/MD Happenings |
Urban planning is becoming a big deal for developers and city managers as the nation, especially areas outside of large cities, prepare living and working areas to accommodate pedestrian traffic. The Brookings Institute, a nonprofit public policy organization, located here in Washington, DC, has published a report ranking the top 30 metropolitan areas on their walkability based on the population. Sixty-five percent of the ranked metro areas are near rail transit systems with Washington, DC, being listed as the number one walkable city. We’re number one! We’re number one!
I don’t live in Washington, DC, but I live in Alexandria, Virginia, walkable to the King Street metro, and I wouldn’t dream of entering DC in my car unless where I need to go has parking nearby and is no where near a metro stop. The number one reason I bought my townhouse is it’s proximity to a metro station, and the DC metro area with all it’s flaws, really does rank high in my book for trying to create easy access to work and play for pedestrians. I would argue that areas around Alexandria’s (King St., Braddock Rd., Crystal City, Pentagon City) and Arlington’s metro stops, like Clarendon, are easier for pedestrians to walk around because although the car and bus traffic is heavy, it’s not as dangerous as it often is in DC, especially during rush hour. Alexandria and Arlington are also more fun to walk through because the restaurants and clubs have been built along the metro line, whereas the metro stops in DC often require long 7 to 8 block hikes to get your job or a restaurant.
Even with DC’s metro stops and sidewalks aplenty, there are some places that you really do need a car to visit, like Georgetown. There are a few places on the list that I have been to, like Seattle and Chicago, and have never needed a car, but the report also factors population so that might be the reason for DC’s higher ranking.
Regardless, DC does a decent job for those of us that prefer to walk and not drive; you just have to really watch out for those metro bus drivers.
Here’s the full list of 30:
1. Washington
2. Boston
3. San Francisco
4. Denver
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Chicago
8. Miami
9. Pittsburgh
10. New York
11. San Diego
12. Los Angeles
13. Philadelphia
14. Atlanta
15. Baltimore
16. St. Louis
17. Minneapolis
18. Detroit
19. Columbus, Ohio
20. Las Vegas
21. Houston
22. San Antonio
23. Kansas City, Mo.
24. Orlando, Fla.
25. Dallas
26. Phoenix
27. Sacramento, Calif.
28. Cincinnati
29. Cleveland
30. Tampa, Fla.
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