The vast majority of the Treasure Coast is practically unwalkable, making car ownership often an obligation for residents.
Being able to walk conveniently around in a city — without needing to drive — is a hallmark of sustainable urban design, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Compact, walkable neighborhoods help conserve natural resources and reduce infrastructure costs.
Only a handful of Treasure Coast neighborhoods are adequately accessible for pedestrians, according to EPA’s National Walkability Index.
EPA’s index determines the probability of whether people would choose to walk as a mode of transportation by factoring pedestrian infrastructure, residential and commercial density, diversity of land uses and other metrics.
Here are the walkability scores of each Treasure Coast neighborhood, based on rankings published on WalkabilityIndex.com, which analyzed data from EPA’s index.
Walkable neighborhoods can create public health benefits, according to the EPA. Walking to stores, jobs, school and other places encourages people to be more active. When people choose to walk, bike or take public transit, they drive less, which reduces pollution from vehicles. This improves human and environmental health.
Homebuyers are increasingly willing to pay a premium to own a home in a walkable neighborhood, according to a National Association of Realtors report.
“Americans are placing greater value on homes in close proximity to nearby shops, cafes and parks,” the report found. “So, if you have a listing near neighborhood amenities — especially if the home is within walking distance — you may want to promote that heavily in your marketing.”
Jack Randall is TCPalm’s economy and real estate reporter. You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Is your city walkable? See how EPA data ranks the Treasure Coast
Reporting by Jack Randall, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jack Randall, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
