Walk Score rates your neighbourhood on walkability

Walk Score is an online mashup that uses the power of Google to assess the walkability of your neighbourhood.



With commuting now an issue of money as well as time, transit ridership is on the rise and more and more folks are switching from four-wheeled motor power to two-wheeled pedal power. Is it much of a surprise to see that people are looking for amenities within walking distance as well?

By entering your address, Walk Score searches for amenities such as shops, restaurants, parks and schools and assigns them points based on whether or not they're close (1 mile or 1.6 kms) or very close (.25 miles or .4 kms) and totals them up to a score between 0 and 100.

My apartment in Toronto is a "Walker's Paradise" with a score of 93 whereas the semi-suburban house in which I grew up scored a 'Car Dependent' 45 out of 100.

Photo: Carbonzero's office has a Very Walkable score of 87.