Do you want to live in a walkable, urban area where public transportation and walking are easy? If so, your city is probably not one of the most walkable in the U.S., Orlando vs Tampa according to WalletHub. However, that doesn’t mean that other cities are worse. We compared 6 major cities across several key metrics to see which had the best walkability.
Find out which city has the best walkability
This one was pretty straightforward. All you have to do is look at how many people travel in each direction and then see which one is right. We considered things like the number of bike lanes, whether walking or riding a bike is easy or difficult, and the presence or absence of parks and plazas. We didn’t just focus on the obvious stuff though. We also took into account things like the average number of vehicle hours of operation, the percentage of the population that takes public transit, the percentage that uses bike lanes, and the percentage of the population that walks to work.
Find out which city has the worst walkability
The results for this one are a little more surprising. Orlando is definitely not the friendliest city in the U.S. We’re not sure why, as New York City and San Francisco are probably at the top of the list. The majority of cities in this categoryFloating, Miami, and Tampa certainly don’t hold a candle to those two. We don’t just focus on the negative though. We also take into account how walkable a city is. This one is pretty straight forward. We looked at the percentage of the population that lives in walkable zones and the number of parks and plazas in each city.
Look at how walkable a city is
The most obvious metric to look at is walkability. How well a city’s walkability works can be determined by taking a look at the percentage of the population that lives in walkable areas and the number of parks and plazas. We’re not entirely sure why this is, but certain cities have proven to be pretty walkable. Miami is a prime example. The city is extremely walkable, with more than half of its population living in walkable neighborhoods.
Look at how car-dependent a city is
gas mileage The amount of miles a car is likely to travel when it’s not in use is one metric we used to rank cities. It’s a pretty simple one. Do the cars in your city get the most use? If the answer is no, then you’ve probably got a car-dependent city. It doesn’t mean that car culture isn’t accepted in your city—it just means that the people who drive cars don’t have as much impact on the city as people who drive bikes or walk to work.
Look at how affordable a city is
Walkability isn’t the only indicator that tells you how walkable a city is. In addition to seeing how many people travel in each direction, you also have to take into account how much of an impact a single event has on the walkability score of a city. We used this metric to determine how walkable a city is because it’s a great way to determine how much of a city’s score can be attributed to a single event. For example, is it easy to walk to work in a city that hosts an annual event that’s known for having a significant impact on walkability?
Look at how much of an impact a single event has
You’ve probably already gathered by now that you don’t want to live in a city that’s too difficult to walk to work. However, just because a city is walkable doesn’t mean that it’s easy to live in. In fact, a number of cities in the U.S. are very car-dependent. This means that you need to be careful what events you celebrate in your city. If you want to celebrate a local event that happens frequently in other cities, you’re going to want to drive to whatever event you celebrate in your city.
Conclusion
You probably already realized by now that walking vs. driving is going to be a major decision for you as an urbanite. When it comes to walkability, there are plenty of metrics to consider, but the one you’ll likely use the most is definitely the one that’s easiest to grasp. You might even want to consider using our tool to help you decide which city is the best fit for you. Once you’ve found the city that has everything you’re looking for, making the move will be super easy and hassle-free. If you’re looking for a city that’s easy to walk to work or school, where you can see a lot of activity and have a lot of open space to explore, then San Francisco or New York City are great places to start.
But if you’re more interested in a city where public transportation is easy to use and walking is always a option, then Orlando might be for you. Let’s Discuss While walking and biking are great ways to get around, they are not always possible in some parts of the city. For example, during rush hour, it might not be possible to walk to work in New York City. Well, you might be in luck! Here are a few walking destinations that are easy to walk to in Orlando. Whether you’re in the business district, the Orange County Great Florida Sale, or looking for a place to get your bearings before your next visit to Orlando, these walking destinations are sure to please.