There's a new website that rates the walkability (and non-necessity of owning a car) in 40 American cities, tying into "rising fuel prices and the recent studies showing real estate in urban neighborhoods holding its value compared to the decline of suburbs and exurbs.
"The national walkability list is the first list that looks at over 2,500 neighborhoods nationally using an objective algorithm that identifies the closest grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops and other amenities near a given address. The complete list, along with an interactive walkability map of each city, will be available at walkscore.com."
A score of 90–100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.
And guess where Uptown ranks: 5th most walkable neighborhood in Chicago, with a WalkScore of 92. (The Loop is the most walkable neighborhood (98), with Pullman (44) and Riverdale (40) pulling in last, at #76 and #77.)
For a more detailed article on how a WalkScore is compiled, the Wall Street Journal has a good article on it, to which one of our faithful readers alerted us. Thanks!
Here is the first quote from the WSJ website:
ReplyDelete"How about considering crime? Not very walkable if you’re getting mugged!"
Comment by BK - July 17, 2008
I guess our friend BK has said it all for us! As for me, I guess I could get around to pointing out the holes in their methodology (i.e., what "amenities" do we really have in this neighborhood other than good grocery store and public transit saturation) but frankly, I feel like doing some yoga and then following that up with a cup of green tea and a good book. No need to think about this now. At election time we'll get some nice propaganda telling us crybabies how great we have it.
Maybe it's because I'm a former L.A. resident, but I really do appreciate how easy it is to get around Chicago. When I lived in WLA, it took three different buses (and two hours) to get to my job six miles away. When I lived in the Valley (shutup!), one evening I was car-less and decided to walk the two miles to the supermarket. Four different cars tried to pick me up and finally a squad car gave me a ride home. Pedestrians were so unusual that apparently someone had called the cops!
ReplyDeleteHere in Uptown we have access to bus lines, several train stations, and supermarkets. When I worked downtown, I could walk two blocks to the bus and have it let me out right at my office's front door. Although I do drive more than I walk, I appreciate that it's a luxury, not a necessity.
The owners of the site do admit that crime isn't factored into their walkability equation. ;-)
"Walking from a friend's Edgewater apartment to my condo on Malden, WHY must I be confronted by myriad homeless, mentally ill, abusive, drunk, drug fueled, and generally wandering hordes of 'thugs'? ... The 'strip' between Montrose and Wilson, on Broadway, is such a disgrace."
ReplyDeleteI've lived and owned in Uptown for years, agree that this is a most walkable neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteHardware store, grocery store, drugstore, used and new bookstore, coffee shop, post office, liquor store, my bank, my doctor's and dentist's offices, dog park and pet store, gym, my church, some great little restaurants, bars, shops, and music venues all are within a 10-15 minute walk of my condo.
However, I've never owned a car, so perhaps it's just my perspective.
Is it just me? I could be wrong, but could someone help me figure out what train I should take? The brown line is VERY far by walk if I need to gat somewhere, so the red is the only one I would really be able to use, but I don't feel remontely safe using it. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeletei take the red line all the time. sure there's creeps and unstable individuals, but i've only seen one "incident" of an unstable man committing a battery against a woman in four years of riding the red line to Lawrence.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have ridden quite often at times that my mother would object to! haha
Hope this doesn't take into account my walk home from my softball game at Clarendon Park last night at 9:40. It was a "who's who" of Uptown's notable criminals that we see pictures of on this blog. I felt like I was running the Gauntlet just to get to Agatite. And a warning for those of you out there who may park your car in front of the Field House at Clarendon Park - these cars are used at benches, things to wrestle on, things to jump on and off, etc. I'd think twice about parking my car there from now on.
ReplyDeleteI was in the same area around Clarendon park on Monday. It was like someone released caged animals, kids were running in the middle of Clarendon throwing water balloons at each other with no regard for their own safety. Their mama's said nothing to them. There was grown men smoking weed and drinking in public. The police presence was no where to be found. Common sense would have a patrol car stationed at the fieldhouse. Common sense isn't so common.
ReplyDeleteI think you're all hitting on exactly why people are so fed up with the crime in Uptown. This is a great place to live aside from the crime, and if we could take care of that, Uptown would be a first class community!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, the Red line at Lawrence has always been my choice. It's very active with all classes of people using it. I would not use the Wilson stop until the rehab being done is complete and if they clean up the area immediate surrounding it. Wilson just seems to attract a different "element"
ReplyDeleteAfter living at montrose and broadway for an entire year with not a single incident, i just moved to rogers park....and got violently mugged in broad daylight. go figure.
ReplyDeleteLauren-that is horrible-I'm sorry to hear about your mugging. I hope that yuo are doing OK.
ReplyDeleteWALKING IN A BATTLE ZONE:
ReplyDeleteI love my area I own a condo in but over the years it has become more beautiful but I doubt more walkable. Walk down sheridan or wilson in the evening and chances are you will be mugged or have to dodge the gangs or be bothered by beggers. Views of Police cars with punks spread out over their hoods. When they say walk on the wild side it sure is in uptown. I think the alderwomen should be doing more to solve the problems that we pay her to do out of our taxes. I have contaced her numerous times but she claims she is trying and can do only so much. Well I can do more and that is to vote her out of her office and get a person in there that will solve our problems when we vote next time......