--Erin Russell, Sales Coordinator
Walkable: capable of or suitable for being walked
In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Or, as defined by Christopher Leinberger, a Land-use Strategist at the Brooking Institution in an NPR interview, "It's where you can get your daily needs met within walking distance. And walking distance is generally considered to be about a half-mile, 3,000 feet. And if you live within that kind of a district, you will probably be using your feet a whole lot more than you're using your car."

In my opinion, walkscore.com is one of the coolest resources on the internet. It rates the walkability of a location on a scale of zero to 100. This is accomplished  by inputting an address and then a map is compiled of amenities such as restaurants, grocery stores, libraries, schools, movie theaters, etc. that are within a one mile radius. Points are given based on how close the amenities are to the address. 

Launched in 2007 by local civic software company, Front Seat, the website has been growing in popularity and specifically in the real estate field. The trend appears to be growing for people to choose to live in an area where they can use their car less. Local Seattle online real estate agency, Findwell has added a Walkscore option in their search engine, as well as the regional Windermere Real Estate that serves Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Washington and British Columbia.

I find it interesting and encouraging that people are considering walkability in their housing criteria. The exchanges for driving to walking can only help our environment, our waste lines and our culture. My score is currently a 97 and I love being close to Cafe Ladro, Madison Market, Take 2 and tons of other great businesses!

What is your score and why do you love your neighborhood?

Image credit: m4r00n3d/Creative Commons