Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Walkability on Google Maps


Walkonomics rates the walkability of individual streets, neighbourhoods and cities and presents the results on a useful Google Map.

Locations are awarded a walkability score based on a number of factors, including road safety, sidewalks and attractiveness. Walkonomics also takes advantage of the power of the crowd by allowing users to add a rating for any street.

The reviews for individual streets include a Google Map and the option to view the actual street using Google Maps Street View. The review includes an overall walkability rating and user ratings in a number of categories important to an area's walkabilty.


Walkshed is an incredible walkability map for New York and Philadelphia. Using Google Maps and OpenStreetMap Walkshed lets you calculate a personal walk score for any address in New York and Philadelphia.

Walkshed has some pretty clever algorithms working behind the scenes to help calculate the walkability scores. For example, interstates and rivers adversely effect a walk-score whilst parks have a very positive impact.

Walkshed also allows users to create an individual walkability score by defining the nearby amenities that are important to them. The map lets the user adjust the value that they place on nearby categories of amenity such as restaurants, cafes, bars, subway stops, grocery stores etc.


Walk Score is a great resource to help find a walkable place to live. Using Walk Score you can enter any address and get a walkability score between 0 and 100.

Walk Score's walkability algorithm measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle at any address, based on the distance to different amenities in a number of different categories. 

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