Since it was launched nearly four years ago, Walk Score has been gaining popularity as a tool for gauging the walkability of a neighborhood. Real estate companies use it to help market homes. Home-seekers use it to help them figure out whether there are enough supermarkets/cafés/schools/parks within walking distance to make them happy.
The problem has been that up until now, the distances that are figured into a location's scores haven't truly been walking distances -- they've been "as the crow flies" distances. And we're not crows. And some types of streets are a lot more walkable than others.
For every Street Smart score, we generate hundreds of walking routes to find the nearest amenities. We also analyze the underlying street data to calculate the number of intersections and average block length.
Street Smart Walk Score gives more weight to amenities that are highly correlated with walking.
When you look up a Street Smart Walk Score, we give you a report showing exactly how many points each amenity contributed to your score. This makes the algorithm easy to understand and completely transparent.
Try it out, and let us know if it's a better indicator of your neighborhood's walkability than the original Walk Score.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
