The more things we can walk to from our home or place of work, the happier we seem to be. Walking is a great way to stay fit and connected to the world around us.
But did you know that walkabiity helps boost the property value for neighborhood homeowners and business owners too?
The Walk Score index is freely available on the Internet and is increasingly being used in the real estate market.
Each point in the Walk Score is worth up $3,000 in enhanced property value, varying by city. But don’t take my word for it. Here's the research!
What is the Walk score for some Westchester communities?
We plugged street addresses for some of city, town, or village halls in northwestern Westchester into the Walk Score search bar. The results are arranged in the table below from highest to lowest Walk Score.
Municipality
Walk Score (out of 100)
Description
“City hall” address
Pleasantville
95
Walkers' Paradise
80 Wheeler Ave, Pleasantville NY 10570Mt Kisco
94
Walkers' Paradise
104 E Main St, Mt Kisco NY 10549
Tarrytown
92
Walkers' Paradise
1 Depot Plaza, Tarrytown NY 10591Ossining (V & T)
91
Walkers' Paradise
16 Croton Ave, Ossining NY 10562
Peekskill
89
Very Walkable
840 Main St, Peekskill NY 10566
Croton-on-Hudson
80
Very Walkable
1 Van Wyck St, Croton-on-Hudson NY 10520
New Castle
69
Somewhat Walkable
200 S Greeley Ave, Chappaqua NY 10514
Yorktown
62
Somewhat Walkable
363 Underhill Ave, Yorktown Heights NY 10598
Briarcliff Manor
58
Somewhat Walkable
1111 Pleasantville Rd, Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
Bedford
57
Somewhat Walkable
321 Bedford Rd, Bedford Hills NY 10507
Buchanan
48
Car-Dependent
236 Tate Ave, Buchanan NY 10511
Cortlandt
28
Car-Dependent
1 Heady St, Cortlandt Manor NY 10567
What makes a neighborhood more walkable?
According to Walk Score, the following 7 foot friendly attributes will drive up public satisfaction and increase property values in the process.
- A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it's a main street or a public space.
- People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.
- Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses.
- Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.
- Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.
- Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
- Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.
Speaking of “Complete Streets,” the ten municipalities have banded together to share expertise and ideas as the Southern Westchester Energy Action Consortium (SWEAC). One of first projects is improving the traffic safety for all road users. See their “Complete Streets in a box” toolkit for ideas you may want to adapt in your community.
How is a Walk Score calculated?
Walk Score uses Google maps to compute the distance between residential addresses and nearby destinations. The Walk Score algorithm looks at destinations in 13 categories and awards points for each destination that is between one-quarter mile and one mile of the subject residential property.
The desirable destinations include: grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, bar, movie theater, school, park, library, bookstore, fitness, drug store, hardware store, andclothing and music store.
What's the Walk Score for your home or place of work?
