Just Because You Live In A "Walkable" Area, Do You Walk More?

"Walkability" has become a buzz word lately. It refers to living in a neighbourhood that has lots of amenities within walking distance.
But do people who live in areas with high walkability scores walk more?

Apparently, our area has a walk score of 94/100, the eighth highest among Toronto neighbourhoods.

But I have noticed that a lot of my neighbours climb into their cars with more frequency than they strap on their runners, or tote a bundle buggy, which made me think.

Now a study out of Seattle suggests that people who live in walkable areas don't necessarily walk more.

Interesting.

No doubt, there are additional things that make walkable areas attractive other than their abundance of conveniences. In our area, the architecture and lovely streetscapes are a draw, as is the size of homes for the urban core.
In Toronto's most walkable areas in the downtown corridor, a short commute time to work is a big plus.

So, just because we can walk to virtually any convenience doesn't mean that we do.

Food for thought.

Cheers,

Vanessa

"Walkability" High In The Annex

Have you heard about walkability scores? 
One definition is "The extent to which the built environment is friendly to the presence of people living, shopping, visiting, enjoying or spending time in an area".
It's no surprise that Walkscore.com gives The Annex a walkscore of 94/100.
What did surprise me was the neighbourhoods that outrank it, including the number one Bay Street corridor and number two ranked Church Street corridor.
It makes sense, based solely on convenience. But I think if leafiness or attractiveness of the streets were counted, our area would be number one!
Competitive much?
Cheers,
Vanessa

Website Ranks Walkability Of Neighbourhoods

I heard about Walk Score in a real estate ad. You enter an address in to the website and it scores the walkability of the adddress, i.e. how transit/walker friendly it is.

I'm sure all of our addresses score high, but I thought it would be a neat tool for anybody moving home, or considering whether to walk at a certain building.

Cheers,

Vanessa
PS check out the link to the most walkable cities. All of them are cities of renown with huge tourism. Anybody listening?