Getting to Walkability- Using Walk Score as
Planning Metric and Goal
February 4, 2010
Harriet Tregoning
District of Columbia Office of Planning
Attributes of a Globally Competitive City/Region
2
Attributes of a Globally Competitive City/Region
3
DC, an emerging transportation and
livability leader- “Alternative” transportation
no longer
•Walk/bike/transit/carpool commuting share > 50%
•SmartBikes bike sharing going from 100 -1000 bikes
this year
•2nd in rail ridership – 1 million daily riders
•1st in number of walkable places per capita (12% of
residents walk to work)
Percent
3G
Census 4A 4B
Households 3E 3F
4D
with No Cars 4C
5A
3C 1D 1A
(By Census 3D
3B 1C 1B
5C
Block Group) 2D 5B
2E 2B 2C
2F 7D
6C 7C
6A
2A
6B 7A
7E
6D
7B
8A
8B
8C
8E
Legend
ANCs
Pct No Car - Census
Pct No Car - Census
0-20
8D
20-30
30-40
40-60 Source data from DMV Destiny system, extract as of June 30, 2005.
Only active registration records and driver licenses included.
60-85 Commercial vehicles excluded.
Promoting Healthy Built Environments
in DC: Walkable Urbanity
Walkable Urbanity
Many parts of the District are designed to
encourage walking and active lifestyles:
•Compact development
•Interesting streetscape & public realm
•Notable historic character
•Great destinations including shopping
districts, parks and recreation centers
•Safe pathways
How could we walk more?
• Half the trips we make are less than three
miles;
• 40 percent are less than two miles;
• 28 percent are less than one mile ; and
• 13.7% are less than a half mile.
• Yet 75 percent of trips of less than one
mile are made by car.
Sources: National Household Travel Survey, 1995. 2001-2002, US FHA; National Walking and
Bicycling Study, Environmental Building News, Aug 2007, Driving to Green Buildings: The
Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings 8
Using Walkscore in Planning
Walkscore & Affordability
Monthly transportation costs in $ terms can be
as much as 300% greater between a location
efficient neighborhood and an auto dependent
neighborhood
Walk Score out of 100:
2000 14th St NW, Washington, DC = 94
3400 Mt Burnside, Dale City, VA = 45
Source: http://htaindex.cnt.org/
Walkscore & Retail Attraction
• Capturing the revenue potential of
“walkers” by changing the metric
larger regional and national retailers
use evaluate potential sites
• In Washington, DC almost 20% of
daily trips are taken by transit, and
nearly 30% of trips are on foot, bike,
or school bus
• Relying on automobile traffic
volumes to evaluate a potential site
in an urban area may underestimate
demand and potential revenue.
11
Walkscore & Neighborhood Planning –
Bellevue Revitalization Plan
• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a
Metro station
• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a full
service grocery store
• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a
Smart Bike station
• 88% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a
Car Sharing location
• 3.7% of residents walk to work
• 99% of residents within 15 min walk of a park
14
15
Towards a “Walkers Paradise” –
Bellevue Plan Recommendations
• Develop three underutilized nodes with a mix
of uses
• Increase density to support neighborhood
serving retail
• Attract grocery tenant
• Recruit stores to participate as members of
the Healthy Corner Store Program
• Encourage local businesses to participate in a
cooperative buying agreement with the Ward
8 Farmers market for distribution of fresh,
healthy food options
• Improve walking paths and recreation
offerings
Other Uses of Walkscore
•Underwriting criteria
•Tracking plan implementation progress
•Shorthand for regional progress
•Employer recruiting tool
17
For more information
Harriet Tregoning
Director
District of Columbia Office of Planning
2000 14th Street NW
Suite 4000
Washington DC 20009
202-442-7600
harriet.tregoning@dc.gov
