5 MINUTES OF CARING

FRIDAY, AUG. 1, 2008

Walk This Way By Stephen Moseley

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How walkable is your neighborhood?

With the high price of gas on everyone's mind, all manner of alternatives are now being seriously considered. Bus ridership is up. Bicycle sales jumped 4% last year. And of course, walking is now mod, no longer just for inner-mall exercise. So, take a test (don't worry, it's easier than upgrading your iPhone) to score your neighborhood's walkability. Discover where, when your rubber (soles) meet the road, the day takes you.

CONTEST: Post-test, leave your score in the comments below. She or he with the lowest score will score our new water bottle - you'll need the extra hydration.

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Michael commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 6:08 a.m.
Yikes. My walkability score is ZERO out of 100! According to the site, I am completely car dependent, and my house is classified as "WORST."

I hope this doesn't affect my overall coolness (any more so than my hair already does).

Mike
Sam commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 6:14 a.m.
I got a 72! I even found some new places on the map that I didn't even know existed.
Susan commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 7:12 a.m.
Wow, I was surprised to learn that my neighborhood has a walkability score of only 9 out of 100. While I may not be able to walk everywhere from where I live, I have found that I don't drive as much I as used to ... doing errands that require driving in a circle route. When the weather cooperates, I ride my bike to our local high school to volunteer. Recently our car needed service. I walked home from our mechanic after dropping it off and back to pick it up. Me and my bike also make many trips to the grocery store when only a few items are needed. My wonderful daughter bought me a basket for my bike for Mother's Day. It holds an entire grocery bag of items! The other evening while returning home from an event at 9:30 at night I was amazed to see how many people and couples were out walking or riding their bikes around our neighborhood. Maybe not close to everything but still a great place to enjoy a walk, run or bike ride. :)
Todd commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 7:13 a.m.
I thought a college town would be better than a 58. Is there a bikability survey anywhere?
mike commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:06 a.m.
Scored a 54 and this seems about right to me. My n'hood was built in the mid-50's when the country thought cars were the way to go. On the plus side there is good access to mass transit and in recent years numerous bike lanes have been added. I like the idea of a bikability survey.
Ann commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:24 a.m.
I did this for my parents... ZERO out 100!! Glad to say they still go walking everyday (they just don't get anywhere ;)
melissa commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:32 a.m.
umm, my address doesn't even exist according to the site. i think that means that my score is less than zero...
Teresa commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:34 a.m.
My neighborhood scored 79 out of 100. Cooper-Young in Midtown Memphis is "Very Walkable".
Kacy commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:40 a.m.
My neighborhood is a "very walkable" 77. Yesss.
Jessica commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 8:52 a.m.
My neighborhood in Midtown Memphis got an 83!! I'm a little surprised at how high it is. We already walked to a few places, but now I have learned a lot more! Thanks!
Stephen commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 9:11 a.m.
This is shaping up to be a pretty close race... stay tuned for the winner by end of day... meanwhile, here are some entries received via email:

Me: Suburban Nashville, Somewhat Walkable -- 52
Gretchen from GA: 3
Britni from SC: 14
Kathy commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 9:11 a.m.
Well...no surprise, my walkablility score is a 22, not the worst, but "car-dependent." The bike works if it's the right time of day.

At least we have a nice subdivision for children and exercise, and we're across from Warner Park...with in walking distance.

kb
J commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 9:21 a.m.
15/100!! The Midwest towns are definitely very spread out...thus, car-dependent!
Katie commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 9:58 a.m.
32--classified as car-dependent. At least I can walk to the bus stop, though.
Corrie Ann commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 11:27 a.m.
Hmmm, a score of 37. I really wasn't surprised though. I live in Los Angeles County and well, we're all pretty car-dependent here. :( I think I'll check out a cool city in New Mexico...maybe that is better. :)
Stephen commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 12:31 p.m.
Jonna from Madison, TN scores a 12... "Not so good, huh..." she says.
Texas in commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 5:45 p.m.
75! Because Austin, Texas is God's country. :)
Amanda commented on Friday, August 1, 2008 9:23 p.m.
I didn't realize there were so many people in the Memphis area that cared! I got a 3 out of 100. I'm actually right outside of Memphis, in Olive Branch, MS.
Sandy commented on Monday, August 4, 2008 12:29 a.m.
I got an 80 out of 100. This was really exciting because I learned a lot of great things about my new neighborhood. I love it!
Stephen commented on Monday, August 4, 2008 9:44 a.m.
Hello Cool People! Thanks so much for taking the time to rate your neighborhood's walkability and sharing it above... As our contest is not completed, it looks like we have 3 tied for "Most Unwalkable":

Mike scored a 0
Ann scored her parents at a 0 as well
Melissa's address didn't even register, which for us will translate as a 0 too...

So, for those of you scoring anything above a goose egg, take heart, and take a stroll next time you've got the opportunity...
Kate commented on Monday, August 25, 2008 10:17 a.m.
Oh, I know this is old but I still wanted to know what my neighborhood was, seeing as I just moved here. 92 out of 100!!!

now just imagine what happens when I use my bike... :D
Patricia commented on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 10:50 a.m.
South Inglewood got a 35, which was higher than I thought. This resource is great, I can use it in my community development work. There are many new places in our neighbourhood which are not listed on the map (veggie cafe, Riverside village, our community garden) so it would be great if we could update it. Most of the places listed as walkable for my neighbourhood would actually involve walking on Briley Parkway! Depressingly the nearest food listed is a McD's and the nearest 'market' is actually a gas station. The other spanner in the works is that there are few sidewalks, so I was glad there was a link to the walkability petition - sign it if you can. Neighbourhood associations in Nashville can also get things done, so go along and raise the issue of walkability at your next meeting.
Kay commented on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 9:14 a.m.
My home score is zero, but that's no big surprise when you live seven miles outside the nearest rural community. My work area (in Austin, TX) is 82 out of 100 -- there's so much here :)
Heidi commented on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 2:53 p.m.
I love walking everywhere in my neighborhood - I am glad we scored an 80! Woohoo to downtown Richmond and Shockoe Bottom :)
Stephen Moseley commented on Tuesday, April 28, 2009 10:07 a.m.
4/28/2009 - Contest closed, but feel free to find your score and share it here, pass or fail...

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