Super Eco

Remember your feet? You know, the things at the ends of your legs? Yeah, I'm having trouble remembering mine, too. I just moved recently to a very walkable city (Vancouver BC) from an unwalkable semi-rural area in Pennsylvania, and I'm stlll not trained to walk places instead of jumping in the car.

Part of the problem, as I see it, is the way many of our communities are designed. Fewer of us now live in neighborhoods that contain anything but houses. Retail areas, coffee shops, etc. are typically too far away to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon stroll, let alone a Monday morning commute.

What's your neighborhood like? You can rate its walkability here. I was surprised when I took this test. I rated a neighborhood that I lived in several years ago, where I was a mile from the town center and walked there almost daily, and it was a lowly 37 out of a 100 in walkability. The good news is that it means that there are many neighborhoods more wlkable than that one! The test rates over 2500 neighborhoods in the largest 40 U.S. cities for things like proximity to a city center and parks, mixed-income and mixed-use functionality, pedestrian-friendly and accessible design, and more. In addition they list 138 "walker's paradise" neighborhoods across the country (my current favorite—Portlands's Pearl District—ranks high).

Walking is good for our health, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and more importantly promotes a sense of real community. Local business are strong in walkable neighborhoods. And you get to actually know your neighbors. That is, if you can resist the urge to jump in the car. Me, I'm still learning.