What is your Walkscore?
Thanks to my friend Steve, I’ve been exposed to a great website called walkscore.com. It is a website that calculates your address based on what is within walking distance. It shows you where the closest coffee shops, restaurants, schools, parks, movie theaters and the like are. Your score is based on how many of these are available within reasonable walking distance from where you live.
This is very intriguing to me for many reasons. One, gas is ridiculously expensive. But more importantly, I would guess that the higher your home scores the more opportunity you have for community with others. People would be more likely to get out from behind their vehicles and would slow down enough to walk places. Sadly, my house scored a 28 out of 100. Walkscore determined that a car-dependent location.
So what if we factored this into where we chose to live? Could this change our view of community? Test it out yourself and share your walkscore as a comment on this post. I’d love to compare and see where everyone is on this scale.
This is the personal blog of Jeremy Jernigan. Husband, father, teaching pastor, and student of truth.
My score is a measly 26. I checked it the other night and the best place that I’ve lived is actually the dorms. I can’t tell you how many times I walked with a number of different people over to that Starbucks or the Del. And it’s only gotten better with the addition of a Panera, which makes me jealous. I did start skating to work twice a week though. Thank God for a skateboard.
Z
55 – “Somewhat Walkable” – I guess I should walk more, huh??
65, I guess I need to start walking my ‘hood!
mmm sweet!!! I’m the proud owner of a 78! on the flip side though, I know feel incredibly convicted to walk more.
Dang…my score is a pathetic 22!! : ( Okay, I’m a wee bit miffed! So what exactly defines a “walking distance” then? Most everything is around 4 miles from my house which is typically the distance I walk/run everyday. So if I factor this in, then I think my score should at least be a 50, right? ; )
And Mitch…what the heck, a 78? What hub of a city do you live in? You bes be walking, sir!
My walk score was a 3. Go on, think about that. 3.
God loves Mexico, too.
I was a 55. There needs to be a bikeability option. Good stuff J.
Wow! I scored a 22. Which I find quite odd…I walk to work in the fall and winter and most everything we do is right on our corner. I think what blew my score was the movie theater distance and the mall… which we never go to.
I like the idea from Hedrick that there needs to be a bike ability factor as well. We ride our bikes to my parents, the golf course, park and pool as well.
22?? I would have to protest!