Walkability: It’s Not Just for Grown-Ups

In the last 75 years, humans have done everything to keep from walking. Now, walking is cool, with "walkability" becoming a buzz word in real estate. Whodathunkit?

In today’s real estate market, adults buy homes and pay attention to a nifty analytic attached to the homes they might buy - walkability. In short, something is walkable if you can get everything you need, including food, health and physical social connection, if your car broke down for a week. It turns out that walkability may be just as important for kids, having even more profound effects.

Walkability means proximity to certain places (like a park) as well as agreeable paths to them: walkable neighborhoods should have sidewalks for safety, vegetation for aesthetic, trees for cooling effects in the summer and perceived safety. After all, what good is having a park across the street if the street is a freeway and you can’t cross it?