Miami ranks 8th as ‘walkable’ city

In a study of the nation’s 50 largest cities, Miami ranked as the eighth most walker-friendly city, according to a new report from Walk Score.


By TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA
tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com
Despite its abundance of cars and traffic, Miami is the nation’s eighth most walkable city, according to a new report from Seattle-based Walk Score.

The survey of the nation’s largest 50 cities looked at how easily residents could access goods and services within short distances, using a scale of 100 to rank walkability.

Miami’s rating of 72.5 places it eighth on a list dominated with established walker-friendly cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, and may signal an important shift for the city’s housing market.

“Instead of wanting the biggest and newest homes, potential [home] buyers now demand smaller, cheaper homes in more walkable communities,” said Walk Score CEO Josh Herst.

According to research done by the non-profit CEOs for Cities, a slight increase in a neighborhood’s walkability score can add as much as $3,000 to a home’s value, as high gas prices make urban neighborhoods more desirable.

Miami’s most walkable neighborhoods were downtown, Brickell and Little Havana, the report found. Miami Beach notched the highest rating in Florida, but was not included in the top 10 because it is not one of the 50 largest cities.

Of the nation’s largest 50 cities, the city of Miami has one of the smallest land areas, making it one of the more compact locales for walkers, Herst said.

As the city’s downtown condo towers begin to fill up, Miami’s core has closed in on other vertical cities in the area of walkability. New projects like the Brickell Citicentre and the Miami Art Museum aim to make Miami a more cosmopolitan destination, with more residents living near the downtown area.

Still, parts of the city remain difficult to navigate by foot, and the city’s public transportation ranking is far below other cities on the list. According to the report, the least walkable neighborhoods in Miami are Liberty City, Flagami and West Coconut Grove.

Real estate agent Jon Mann said a growing number of his younger clients are opting to buy or rent condos that are walking distance from entertainment, restaurants and parks.

“The live, work, walk environment — younger professionals are really embodying that,” said Mann, whose Five Star International Realty office is in Brickell. “Here, the cost of living is high and wages are low so if you can bypass the $4 gallon [of gas] price tag, it goes a long way.”

10 most walkable cities

1. New York (score: 85.3)

2. San Francisco (score: 84.9)

3. Boston (score: 79.2)

4. Chicago (score: 74.3)

5. Philadelphia (score: 74.1)

6. Seattle (score: 73.7)

7. Washington, D.C. (score: 73.2)

8. Miami (score: 72.5)

9. Minneapolis (score: 69.3)

10. Oakland (score: 68.2)

Source: Walk Score


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/07/19/2321316/miami-ranks-8th-as-walkable-city.html#ixzz1SaYgCvyk


You guys can check how "walkable" is your neighborhood, just go to: http://www.walkscore.com/ Fort Lauderdale (Downtown) scored 87 :banana: and West Palm Beach (Downtown) 91

I think Chicago is more interesting and friendly than New York.

[You guys can check how "walkable" is your neighborhood, just go to: http://www.walkscore.com/ Fort Lauderdale (Downtown) scored 87 :banana: and West Palm Beach (Downtown) 91

That's pretty cool. My address here in Philly got a 94 "walkers paradise" rating, which is about right. Along with the North End in Boston it's easily the most walkable/convenient neighborhood I've ever lived in.

My old address in El Portal only scored a 62, but I can't remember anything useful to even walk to from there aside from Publix. I'm sure Brickell, South Beach and the Grove would rank at the top of the list in the Miami area. Victoria Park in Lauderdale always seemed pretty convenient to a lot as well.

I remain skeptical about walkscrore.com.
For instance, when I enter my address it says that the nearest restaurant is .06 miles...there are two restaurants in the building (30 seats and probably 120 seats). For coffee it says .09 Miles, and there is a Starbucks accross the street. Bars .27 miles, and there is a big one in the building, and about 4 within a football field's walk.
It must only count businesses that list themselves in some specific directory.

Looking up Miami news I came across this article. Further evidence of Miami's evolution into a cultural destination and a source of pride for the city.

Miami City Ballet the toast of Paris

By Jordan Levin, Miami Herald

We may be sweltering here in South Florida, but on the other side of the Atlantic, Miami City Ballet is enjoying a different kind of summer heat. Miami's hometown ballet troupe, in the middle of its debut season in Paris, has lit the city on fire. The company's three-week season at historic Theatre du Chatelet, which began July 6 and continues through Saturday, has been a success, with regular standing (even screaming) ovations from sold-out audiences filling the 2,500-seat theater.

The enthusiastic reception has startled artistic director Edward Villella.
"I just ... I'm stunned, wonderfully stunned," said Villella, reached backstage shortly before Wednesday's show.

"It's the biggest success the company has had in 25 years. We are the talk of Paris. People are clamoring for tickets. They stop me in buses and restaurants. They have grabbed me in the aisles and told me they've never seen dancing like this.

"We prepared, we worked hard, but this is way beyond our wildest expectations."

Chatelet director Valery Colin said he is pleased by his choice for his theater's annual Les Etes de la Danse summer dance festival. "It's very, very, very good results for Miami City Ballet ... and it's fantastic for Les Etes de la Danse because we know we made a good choice," Colin said.

The festival, launched in 2005, appeals to Parisian audiences hungry for cultural events during the slow season, as well as summer tourists. Previous festival artists have included the internationally celebrated San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Cuba and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

A feature in Le Monde, one of Paris' leading newspapers, cited MCB as a prime example of Miami's cultural explosion, and praised the troupe's "sophisticated elegance, with a je ne sais quoi of modesty and generosity that makes all the difference." London's Financial Times described the audience's reaction as "rapturous," noting that "the dancers' exuberance and faith in the steps are infectious, and theirs is an all-American musicality that sheds new light on ballets that have grown formulaic and dull on this side of the Atlantic."

As did their triumphant Manhattan debut in 2009, MCB's success in one of the world's cultural capitals — home to the historic Paris Opera Ballet and a sophisticated, demanding dance audience accustomed to world-class troupes — could launch the company to a new level of international prominence. Villella said Chatelet officials have already asked if MCB would consider returning in 2014, and the troupe has been approached regarding a similar festival in Spain.

MCB's New York season convinced Marina de Brandt, president of the festival and a supporter and friend of Villella since his days as a star at New York City Ballet, that the Miami troupe was ready for Paris. She and Colin originally planned to present MCB along with other troupes, but after a visit to Miami last spring, they decided to offer a solo gig.

Elizabeth Platel, director of the Paris Opera Ballet school, said MCB's expertise and aplomb in the works of George Balanchine, and a repertoire that struck a balance between dense, powerful Balanchine works new to Paris, such as Symphony in Three Movements and Ballet Imperial, and his beloved, lighter ballets, such as Tarantella, Western Symphony and Square Dance, had proved to be a smart and appealing mix. The Balanchine works are balanced by masterful, modern dance crowd-pleasers such as Twyla Tharp's In the Upper Room and Paul Taylor's Pomethrean Fire, and lyrical Jerome Robbins ballets such as Afternoon of a Faun.

"Audiences are very demanding because they have a lot of choice and they know a lot of different companies," Platel said. "They know Balanchine, and [the Paris Opera Ballet] has a very high level, and we have a lot of Balanchine and Robbins. [MCB has] a different way of dancing from what we are doing in Paris ... and the energy given by the dancers is great."

Reviews of MCB outside the troupe's home city often praise the dancers' energy, attack, sharp timing, sensitivity to music, understanding of the Balanchine repertoire — as well as a contagious enthusiasm that can be rare in classical ballet. This last quality has apparently been particularly charming to Parisian audiences.

"The success has been because of the quality of the company and their dancing, but also the joy of the dancers," Colin said. "They are so happy to be on stage that the audience feels it."

Villella says the dancers are at the top of their game. "I am so proud of our dancers — they're fantastic," he said. "Everyone is dancing brilliantly. I'm sounding like this proud papa, but that's what I'm feeling."

http://www.walkscore.com/
Hahahaha-HAAAAA my old address in upstate new york got a 3!!! <not 30, 3 (three).


Hahaha it's a farm. Who'd a thought?

^^Nice story about Miami City Ballet. They really have been a source of sustained excellence since their founding 25 years ago. Villella has done such a great job over the years and they deserve the kudos. :cheers:

I remain skeptical about walkscrore.com.
For instance, when I enter my address it says that the nearest restaurant is .06 miles...there are two restaurants in the building (30 seats and probably 120 seats). For coffee it says .09 Miles, and there is a Starbucks accross the street. Bars .27 miles, and there is a big one in the building, and about 4 within a football field's walk.
It must only count businesses that list themselves in some specific directory.

Yeah, I noticed some similar discrepancies as well. A lot of the closest coffee shops, restaurants and bars to me aren't listed and they have the wrong subway line listed as the closer one. You may be right about the 'directory' angle.

Still, I've entered about a half-dozen different addresses I've lived at and can't really argue with the aggregate 'scores' given each---despite the flaws we both noticed.

I GOT A 58

Hollywood got a 58, but no one can beat my 3 :D

Yeah, I noticed some similar discrepancies as well. A lot of the closest coffee shops, restaurants and bars to me aren't listed and they have the wrong subway line listed as the closer one. You may be right about the 'directory' angle.

Still, I've entered about a half-dozen different addresses I've lived at and can't really argue with the aggregate 'scores' given each---despite the flaws we both noticed.Brickell apt is 88, and my South Beach apt 2 buildings from the center of Lincoln Road is a 89.

I wonder if it works on a radius and you are penalized for being on the waterfront...there isn't anything to walk to a block to the east. swimscore anyone?

Just did the walkscore in the Brickell apt using the GPS on a tablet. Now the walkscore is 94, a walker's paradise.
Proof positive that walkscore.com is squirrelly.

What does mine say when you use different methods?

http://www.walkscore.com/m/score/5249-route-14a

You may have to redo it out of mobile. The score should be a three.

Haha now I see the details things. Oh wow. I love the businesses it has registered, and considering what it includes in the middle of nowhere there's no reason it shouldn't include any businesses anywhere around here. It's just using google's categorization of every place. The results are a real trip:

The place it sites for groceries is the neighbors vegetable farm out back. :lol: and for "shopping" it sites the local hardware store in the four corners town located just down the road :lol:

To be fair, though, although nothing is under a mile, it is still very bikable and owning a substantial amount of your own land to do what you want with, having phusical space, as well as being a physically and directly productive entity is something you may never be able to understand.

I got a 63 for my Hialeah address and a 69 for my Jacksonville address, both are "somewhat walkable" according to Walk Score. Neither of them is remotely walkable in reality. In Hialeah I'm a 10 minute walk from a strip mall and in Jacksonville I'm 3 blocks from a 5 lane thoroughfare with every fast food chain imaginable. I've done that walk in Hialeah several times, but other than that it's just an nice place to walk your dog and look at a bunch of front lawns.

The South Miami address I lived in until recently got a 92 "walkers paradise" which makes sense since I could walk to just about anything anyone would ever need. My new more suburban address got a more blah 58.

My old Boston Back Bay address got a 95 but it listed the closest bar as 2.5 miles away when in reality it had bar on the ground floor, next door to a bar, across the street from a bar.

My old Boston Back Bay address got a 95 but it listed the closest bar as 2.5 miles away when in reality it had bar on the ground floor, next door to a bar, across the street from a bar.

I looked up my old Boston address on Hanover St. and it got a 97. Not surprising with so damn much right outside the front door. I wonder if anyplace scores a perfect 100?

All a location has to do is have everything, one thing per category, within a quarter mile to get a perfect score. It's very simple how it works. And everything over a mile gets no points. It only looks at the one closest thing in each category.

The only reason I got a three not a zero for the farm was because the vegetable research farm out back has been erroneously categorized by google as a "grocery store" (maybe a whole foods :lol:), hence it was counted by walk score, and it is right out back, it borders our land, it's our closest neighbor, but still is over a half mile away (imagine that), but was under a mile, giving me three points.

And walk score is not very thourough, it only checks the closest thing in each category, not to see if there are several restaurants in a good distance, for example, which would be a big plus. Additionally, it takes not into account the actual walking conditions regarding sidewalks and hills or the need to cross a highway.

To be more comprehensive, it would have to be manually done for every metropolitan area where it applies, not just using google places (often erroneous, as shown in the extreme case of a rural area) categorizations.

Hollywood got a 58, but no one can beat my 3 :D

True...Weston got an 8 :lol:

I'm sure Brickell, South Beach and the Grove would rank at the top of the list in the Miami area. Victoria Park in Lauderdale always seemed pretty convenient to a lot as well.

Downtown MIA got an 86 and Brickell 83

To be more comprehensive, it would have to be manually done for every metropolitan area where it applies, not just using google places (often erroneous, as shown in the extreme case of a rural area) categorizations.

Well, of course. I think it's more something to have fun with than anything serious. For instance, I had to laugh when it gave my (very) old North Miami address a 75 "very walkable" rating. The only things "walkable" around there were craptastic stores, a dingy Winn-Dixie, and the fabulously exciting bus routes along 441. My "walking" there was straight to the car! :lol:

Then again, it gave my Dad's address in Miami Shores only a 35---which is totally accurate since there really is nothing very walkable around there aside from the bay---but I'll take that over the "easy access to decay" of North Miami.

140 West Flagler only gets a walk score of 92, but it gets the bonus Transit Score of 100, no surprise. Transit score has nothing to do with a places walk score, although it should be incorporated.

http://www.walkscore.com/m/score/140-west-flagler

My "walking" there was straight to the car! :lol:

.

:lol: :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Downtown MIA got an 86 and Brickell 83
It depends on how you do it...my apt on Brickell scores 94 Walker's Paradise if you are there and use a mobile device to get a walkscore. If you type the address into their walkscore, the exact same place gets 88 Very Walkable. Manual entry misses the businesses in the building and accross the street. Using the mobile version GPS catches everything.

It depends on how you do it...my apt on Brickell scores 94 Walker's Paradise if you are there and use a mobile device to get a walkscore. If you type the address into their walkscore, the exact same place gets 88 Very Walkable. Manual entry misses the businesses in the building and accross the street. Using the mobile version GPS catches everything.

Also, one address could be more "walkable" than the other one. The score that I mentioned was for the whole area of Brickell, which includes the south portion of it that pretty much is residential and nothing else...

^^
Don't let UMdev hear you say that :lol:

I looked up my old Boston address on Hanover St. and it got a 97. Not surprising with so damn much right outside the front door. I wonder if anyplace scores a perfect 100?

I tried addresses all over the county and the best score I could find was in South Miami with a score of 97 for the corner of Sunset and 58th Ave (of course there are no residences there, though i did used to live a block and a half away). I guess by their methodology the downtown South Miami area is the most walkable in the Miami area. It is surprisingly well rounded considering how small it is with shopping, restaurants, bars, movies, hospitals, office biuldings, apartments, and the metrorail all within an area of about 5 blocks by 5 blocks.

I couldnt find a score over 95 in South Beach.

I got a 12 on Walkscore. Smack dab in Pinecrest :lol:

I tried addresses all over the county and the best score I could find was in South Miami with a score of 97 for the corner of Sunset and 58th Ave (of course there are no residences there, though i did used to live a block and a half away).
I couldnt find a score over 95 in South Beach.Just had breakfast on Lincoln road and stopped by my apartment there. The apartment gets 98 a Walker's Paradise. Most scores were perfect except for Shopping (???), Restaurants and Bars (???), Entertainment (???), groceries, and schools. Schools makes sense, you would have to walk .5 miles to the elementary school for a score of 4.5 out of 6, but I already finished elementary school.
http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/pat_healy/StreetSmartWalkScore.jpg

The Miami Herald
Posted on Wed, Jul. 20, 2011
Miami ranks 8th as ‘walkable’ city

By TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA


Despite its abundance of cars and traffic, Miami is the nation’s eighth most walkable city, according to a new report from Seattle-based Walk Score.

The survey of the nation’s largest 50 cities looked at how easily residents could access goods and services within short distances, using a scale of 100 to rank walkability.

Miami’s rating of 72.5 places it eighth on a list dominated with established walker-friendly cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, and may signal an important shift for the city’s housing market.

“Instead of wanting the biggest and newest homes, potential [home] buyers now demand smaller, cheaper homes in more walkable communities,” said Walk Score CEO Josh Herst.

According to research done by the non-profit CEOs for Cities, a slight increase in a neighborhood’s walkability score can add as much as $3,000 to a home’s value, as high gas prices make urban neighborhoods more desirable.

Miami’s most walkable neighborhoods were downtown, Brickell and Little Havana, the report found. Miami Beach notched the highest rating in Florida, but was not included in the top 10 because it is not one of the 50 largest cities.

Of the nation’s largest 50 cities, the city of Miami has one of the smallest land areas, making it one of the more compact locales for walkers, Herst said.

As the city’s downtown condo towers begin to fill up, Miami’s core has closed in on other vertical cities in the area of walkability. New projects like the Brickell Citicentre and the Miami Art Museum aim to make Miami a more cosmopolitan destination, with more residents living near the downtown area.

Still, parts of the city remain difficult to navigate by foot, and the city’s public transportation ranking is far below other cities on the list. According to the report, the least walkable neighborhoods in Miami are Liberty City, Flagami and West Coconut Grove.

Real estate agent Jon Mann said a growing number of his younger clients are opting to buy or rent condos that are walking distance from entertainment, restaurants and parks.

“The live, work, walk environment — younger professionals are really embodying that,” said Mann, whose Five Star International Realty office is in Brickell. “Here, the cost of living is high and wages are low so if you can bypass the $4 gallon [of gas] price tag, it goes a long way.”

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/07/19/v-print/2321316/miami-ranks-8th-as-walkable-city.html#ixzz1Sn5r9Ryw

Most walkable cities

1. New York 85.3

2. San Francisco 84.9

3. Boston 79.2

4. Chicago 74.3

5. Philadelphia 74.1

6. Seattle 73.7

7. Washington, D.C.73.2

8. Miami 72.5 WTF?!!

9. Minneapolis 69.3

10. Oakland 68.2

Here is the List from America's Most Walkable Neighborhoods
http://www.walkscore.com/rankings/

I thought I'd never see the day we'd ever make this list, and certainly not as high a placement. At first glance it would seem impossible, but given the small area of the city of Miami limits, and their criteria based on accessible amenities it is quite plausible. The heat, relative lack of shade trees, and the high possibility of getting hit by cars make walking uncomfortable, but it is do-able. I can imagine getting around in many neighborhoods just by walking or using public transit: Little Havana, the Grove, Midtown, Wynwood, Edgewater, the Roads, Little Haiti, Downtown, and Brickell to name a few. My Upper Eastside neighborhood now has sprouted many amenities now accessible by foot.

Sobchbud, there is already quite a discussion about this on the Club 50 thread. If the forum feels the subject matter warrants its own thread, then I will consolidate all the pertinent posts into one thread started by the original poster. Otherwise, I will simply move your post to Club 50. This source has me wondering if they think South Beach is part of Miami.

New to the site. Born and raised in Miami but I've been in Boston for the past 7 years for school.

The apartment I'm moving to in Brickell scored a 92, which is pretty understandable. My wife and I are trying to minimize our need for a car for everyday things, so we explicitly chose a location that would be within walking distance of grocery store and the like.

My previous apartment in Cambridge, MA scored a 95. And, there are some areas of Cambridge that score a perfect 100.

Casamagda, the discrepancy between the online score and the GPS score could be due to a slight difference between where the site thinks the address is located and its actual location. The location it gave me for my Cambridge apartment was a few blocks off of its actual location.

7 years, you're gonna notice some changes here :)

7 years, you're gonna notice some changes here :)

Oh, I've been in Miami a bunch of times in between. I've worked down here most summers and always drop by for vacations. I've definitely seen and appreciated the changes. It's a totally different city, for the better. When comparing where I grew up in Kendall (which hasn't changed all that much in the interim) to the new apartment in Brickell, it's night and day.

If Miami was the same city today as it was when I left 7 years ago, I wouldn't be moving back down here.

If Miami was the same city today as it was when I left 7 years ago, I wouldn't be moving back down here.

Welcome aboard! Hopefully, this decade will prove to be almost as interesting as the last. :):cheers:

Oh, I've been in Miami a bunch of times in between. I've worked down here most summers and always drop by for vacations. I've definitely seen and appreciated the changes. It's a totally different city, for the better. When comparing where I grew up in Kendall (which hasn't changed all that much in the interim) to the new apartment in Brickell, it's night and day.

If Miami was the same city today as it was when I left 7 years ago, I wouldn't be moving back down here.
welcome aboard, we have a whole thread on writing about yourself, but its ok that you did it here. enjoy having Argentinian and Venezuelan neighbors!:ohno:

enjoy having Argentinian and Venezuelan neighbors!:ohno:

What do you mean by this?^^

What do you mean by this?^^
isnt 90% of the units bought downtown bought by wealthy south americans???

You mean Mexican and Caribbean wealthy (yes, venezuelans count there as well), perhaps... South Americans tend to reside in Key Byscayne and NMB.

welcome aboard, we have a whole thread on writing about yourself, but its ok that you did it here. enjoy having Argentinian and Venezuelan neighbors!:ohno:

Hey...I am argentinean....what's wrong with us? and why the no no shake smiley face??? if it wasn't for the South Americans and Europeans buying some of these units.....I don't think Miami, FL would be filling up those units as thery are doing now...cause sure the americans are not buying or investing in Miami....

That's because Americans aren't interested in foreign investment right now :lol:

Hey...I am argentinean....what's wrong with us? and why the no no shake smiley face??? if it wasn't for the South Americans and Europeans buying some of these units.....I don't think Miami, FL would be filling up those units as thery are doing now...cause sure the Americans are not buying or investing in Miami....
im not discriminating on any culture or nationality all im saying is that when an entire city especially the tourist districts (downtown,Miami beach) are almost completely made up of non-English speaking people who come from an entirely different continent and just buy units here because they can it gives a bad impression to the people visiting here and feeding our economy because they don't understand the language and they don't even feel like they're in a US city. i don't know i mean im Cuban and the Hispanic people born in Miami or the US are completely different to the people born in other country's and then move here. theres just a different etiquette. i know im sounding really racist rite now and im not but i just hope you know what i mean.

yah its great that miami is ranked 8th in most "walkable" city but were no where near 8th as most "walked" city and thats something we can all agree on. i know its sad to say but we just dont have a lot of urban foot traffic, except for miami beach but thats all tourist.

Most of the people actually living in Brickell, the people working there, the people that party there, the people that shop and dine there are not the foreign investors. Most people there are locals that have moved into the city from other parts of town.

Hialeah JDM's right, a lot of the owners of units in Brickell are not the actual residents. Many of them own a number of units and sub-lease as an investment especially since the rental market is really picking up in the area (I know this from personal experience. I went to look at units back in late April / early May just to familiarize myself with some of the more popular buildings but didn't have an intent to move-in until August. When I came back down to Miami to find a place, the rates for units in the same building had increased dramatically in a little less than 4 months.)

so when all the hype that's been going on around here about 80% of the units being bought, that's all been because the units are only bought and not lived in? ....what good is that. were the 3rd largest downtown in terms of units owned and population yet more than half the units in downtown and brickell are just for the once a year millionaires weekend getaway from new york?....got it. that's not a real city.

2+2=4

not proud of my city anymore.

so when all the hype that's been going on around here about 80% of the units being bought, that's all been because the units are only bought and not lived in? ....what good is that. were the 3rd largest downtown in terms of units owned and population yet more than half the units in downtown and brickell are just for the once a year millionaires weekend getaway from new york?....got it. that's not a real city.

There are people living there. They just aren't the actual buyers. They are renters.

The wealthy buyers aren't holding on to the property for themselves on the off chance they drop by Miami a few times a year. They are renting out the units at ever increasing rates to year round Miami residents.

I think you misunderstood my post.

scratch that, proud of my city and all its accomplished.

i was in Dallas this weekend and stayed in the heart of downtown it was absolutely beautiful by the way very heavy foot traffic through main street and historic district...but anyway as i woke up early one morning in Dallas i was flipping the channels and found my self watching a show called GMT (good morning taxes) it was on ABC and a knock off of GMA or the today show but what was cool about it is that they had it in the plaza of the American airlines center downtown where the mavs play and they'd had and outdoor weather segment with a small crowd of people with signs and cheering and it was astonishingly similar to the today show......any way so it got me wondering wouldn't it be cool if they had a GMF good morning Florida in the plaza of citicentre and have early morning crowds with signs and local up and coming bands play just like a morning news show! i think it would be cool!

First off the score does not include South Beach. Click on the link and you'll see that it's just Miami.

But I digress. The reason that Miami ranks high is because of downtown and Brickell which are both very walkable. Then there is the Wynwood/Edgewater area that has also gotten very walkable. These are the current areas where everyone is moving to.

You can live, work, get groceries, etc. all in downtown. Then you can easily take the metro to Best Buy, Target and Dadeland Mall. Midtown now offers a lot as well. If you live in Midtown you can walk to get groceries, you can walk to restaurants and nighclubs, there's a target for daily needs. So pretty much once you get home there is no more need for a car. That's why Midtown and Brickell are extremely popular.

Heck even Little Havana is very walkable for the people that live there.

Now if you live out in Homestead, Doral, Kendall, etc. that's another story. But these area are technically not Miami and therefore not a part of the ranking.

The last Miami DDA report for downtown issued in February which had information up to December 2010 showed that 85% of the units downtown were occupied. Of the units occupied 56% of them had renters in them.

So that data is now 7 months old. I would guess that they are now at least 90% occupied.

The unit I'm renting is now renting at $250 above what I rented it at a year ago. And that was $250 more than the year before that. So were talking about an increase of $500 over two years. Now there are plenty of people like me who are just paying $100 increases but rent is getting up there. If there were plenty of empty units we would just rent those.

i know im sounding really racist rite now and im not but i just hope you know what i mean.

This is the problem oftentimes in forums such as this and why we have to think about things before we post them. People who don't really know you, or what type of person you really are, aren't necessarily going to get what you mean. That is why I asked the question. When we type something rather than saying it in person, people oftentimes don't get your personality or the emotional energy behind what is being said. Oftentimes, you might be joking or being facetious and people think you might be serious when you're not when they simply don't know you or what kind of tone you said something in. Sometimes, something said in jest can be interpreted as being angry or mean-spirited when it's not, but someone who doesn't really know you isn't going to understand that.

Casamagda, the discrepancy between the online score and the GPS score could be due to a slight difference between where the site thinks the address is located and its actual location.That is definitely true, additionally, the Street Mart score accesses a different database of neighborhood amenities as well.

im not discriminating on any culture or nationality all im saying is that when an entire city especially the tourist districts (downtown,Miami beach) are almost completely made up of non-English speaking people who come from an entirely different continent and just buy units here because they can it gives a bad impression to the people visiting here and feeding our economy because they don't understand the language and they don't even feel like they're in a US city. i don't know i mean im Cuban and the Hispanic people born in Miami or the US are completely different to the people born in other country's and then move here. theres just a different etiquette. i know im sounding really racist rite now and im not but i just hope you know what i mean.

Part if the problem with your argument is that they aren't non-English speakers. Just because someone speaks Spanish doesn't mean they don't speak English.

The Spanish speaking people living in Brickell are affluent. And for the most part affluent people speak English no matter what their first language is. Were not talking about poor people that can't get jobs so their running across the border. Were talking about affluent Venezuelans that are worried about their government so they are parking money in an economy they feel safer.

I have yet to run into anyone living in Brickell who doesn't speak English. Sure they might be speaking Spanish to each other on the Elevator but as soon as you ask them a question in English, they respond in English.

Welcome aboard! Hopefully, this decade will prove to be almost as interesting as the last. :):cheers:

I think it will actually be more interesting. The last decade was focused on bringing mainly just condos to the downtown area. Now that the population has doubled (and still increasing) the focus will be on services to support the population.

Think how much more of an impact Brickell CitiCenter will make over just a couple of highrise condos.

The reporter had asked if the Americans would ''take over'' Cuba after Fidel Castro's fall. Mas Canosa reportedly replied, ''That's bull----. They haven't even been able to take over Miami. If we kicked them out of here, how could they possibly take over our own country?''

The last decade was focused on bringing mainly just condos to the downtown area.My friends at the Port of Miami, Miami International Airport, what was formerly Miami Dade Community College, anyone in the Arts community would disagree!

The Spanish speaking people living in Brickell are affluent. And for the most part affluent people speak English no matter what their first language is.The best developers and marketers of condos in Brickell has been in the real estate business since 1983.
While they have been and still are, involved in the biggest and best condos in Brickell, they have never ever produced a brochure in the Spanish language, nor do they have a Spanish website.
The overwhelming majority of people in Brickell speak English.

My friends at the Port of Miami, Miami International Airport, what was formerly Miami Dade Community College, anyone in the Arts community would disagree!

I think you are confusing regular growth with a boom at an exponential level. The number of condos built in the last 10 years was DOUBLE the amount built in the previous 40 years.

The airport grew, downtown EXPLODED.

Who cares where they are from?!??! Money spent here is good for the economy!!! Whether you are a Russian hooker, a Venezuelan upper class Chavez hater, a snobby portenho from Buenos Aires, or a Socialist wine drinker from Madrid. The important fact is that the money is spent here and improves this bad economic situation we're in...

Sobchbud, there is already quite a discussion about this on the Club 50 thread. If the forum feels the subject matter warrants its own thread, then I will consolidate all the pertinent posts into one thread started by the original poster. Otherwise, I will simply move your post to Club 50.

No, doubt we will be referring to this subject time and time again, so I created a separate thread for it. Sorry, Sobchbud, but Ftlauddude gets the credit as the original poster of the article.

First off the score does not include South Beach. Click on the link and you'll see that it's just Miami.

Thanks! At first, I just had trouble believing that Miami would score so high, but now I see what you mean. My neighborhood, the upper eastside, scored an 83, as high as parts of Brickell, which was also a surprise.

I think it will actually be more interesting.

You are probably right. I said almost as interesting because it won't have so much of the frenzied speculation that we had in the last decade which made it a little too interesting.

Think how much more of an impact Brickell CitiCenter will make over just a couple of highrise condos.

Brickell Citicentre will certainly make Downtown and Brickell far more walkable. People from the Riverfront community would only have to walk across the S. Miami Avenue bridge.

im not discriminating on any culture or nationality all im saying is that when an entire city especially the tourist districts (downtown,Miami beach) are almost completely made up of non-English speaking people who come from an entirely different continent and just buy units here because they can it gives a bad impression to the people visiting here and feeding our economy because they don't understand the language and they don't even feel like they're in a US city. i don't know i mean im Cuban and the Hispanic people born in Miami or the US are completely different to the people born in other country's and then move here. theres just a different etiquette. i know im sounding really racist rite now and im not but i just hope you know what i mean.

I wasn't born in the USA, however I came to this country when I was 7 yrs old....but I guess I understand your point of view...that's how my family thinks of Miami....they don't undersatnd why I live here...they don't even like to visit cause of all the Latins here....which is weird...but hey...I go visit them...so no big deal.

so when all the hype that's been going on around here about 80% of the units being bought, that's all been because the units are only bought and not lived in? ....what good is that. were the 3rd largest downtown in terms of units owned and population yet more than half the units in downtown and brickell are just for the once a year millionaires weekend getaway from new york?....got it. that's not a real city.

Foreign investors are not gonna buy a unit in Miami and leave everything behind in their country to move to Miami....NO...those are investments to resale or lease to other people....I bet most of the people living in Downtown or Brickell are leasing....americans don't have money...and the ones that do....New Yorkers (Mostly) will not leave NYC to move down here...these are vacation homes...that's the reality. Personally....that is what I am doing...I am looking to relocate from Sunny Isles to maybe Brickell or Opera Tower building....I probably will not live there as I want to move back to Europe next year....so that's the reality of things.

Who cares where they are from?!??! Money spent here is good for the economy!!! Whether you are a Russian hooker, a Venezuelan upper class Chavez hater, a snobby portenho from Buenos Aires, or a Socialist wine drinker from Madrid. The important fact is that the money is spent here and improves this bad economic situation we're in...

I like the ..."snobby portenho from Buenos Aires"....part....:cheers:

I like the ..."snobby portenho from Buenos Aires"....part....:cheers:

I wrote it specially for you...:lol:

I think you are confusing regular growth with a boom at an exponential level. The number of condos built in the last 10 years was DOUBLE the amount built in the previous 40 years.
No confusion, having been in business since 1997, I'm well aware of the scope of resi development.
When I signed the contract on my first pre-construction condo in downtown back in 2003, there were plenty of people focused on how no one would ever move to downtown.

To say that Miamian's main focus was downtown condos detracts from the extraordinary accomplishments of the people that led expansions in those forementioned industries and enterprises.

2000-2008 was an exceptionally large boom for condos, office, medical, import/export, arts, everything in Miami.
Downtown Miami did not experience extreme advances in many if any of these categories in the 90's.

No doubt, working and living in Downtown Miami development was my focus for the decade, but I know for sure, it wasn't everyone's focus.

That must be a joke!! I moved here last year from San Diego, and I don't see Miami as a walkable city!! I almost got hit by a car twice this week! Because i walk a lot in downtown Miami when i go to school, even if I press the button to cross the street, is very dangerous, they don't care if you are crossing the st or not, even some streets lack of sidewalks.

No confusion, having been in business since 1997, I'm well aware of the scope of resi development.
When I signed the contract on my first pre-construction condo in downtown back in 2003, there were plenty of people focused on how no one would ever move to downtown.

To say that Miamian's main focus was downtown condos detracts from the extraordinary accomplishments of the people that led expansions in those forementioned industries and enterprises.

2000-2008 was an exceptionally large boom for condos, office, medical, import/export, arts, everything in Miami.
Downtown Miami did not experience extreme advances in many if any of these categories in the 90's.

No doubt, working and living in Downtown Miami development was my focus for the decade, but I know for sure, it wasn't everyone's focus.

How does saying that Developers were mainly focused on building condos detract from anything?

Agree to disagree. The development in those areas were inline with the growth of Miami. Downtown Miami didn't experience those advance is the arts for example because there weren't the people there for it. The development was providing services that were lacking not overbuilding them.

They definitely overbuilt offices as well but I'm pretty much lumping that in the same category with condos. Now that the places for people to live and work downtown are built the next decade will be focused on providing services to support them.

I'm not talking about the focus of any Miamian, I'm talking about what was actually built. I don't want to take away from the hard work that anyone has done but were talking about close to 50 high rise buildings with most being downtown. Like it or not this was the bulk of the development. Effort and output are two different things.

That must be a joke!! I moved here last year from San Diego, and I don't see Miami as a walkable city!! I almost got hit by a car twice this week! Because i walk a lot in downtown Miami when i go to school, even if I press the button to cross the street, is very dangerous, they don't care if you are crossing the st or not, even some streets lack of sidewalks.

You have a point. The ranking surprised me too. One of my pet peeves about Miami drivers is that so many of them don't use their directionals. For instance, a year or two ago, I was walking to the Wendy's in my neighborhood. At 78th Street and Biscayne, I had the green light and the "Walk" sign. Still, I looked behind me to make sure no one had their directionals on indicating that they were about to make a turn before I stepped off the curb. Lo and behold, I step off the curb, and somebody about to make a turn slams on their brakes and nearly causes an accident. Big problem here in South Florida.

Is lack of education! I don't know how they passed the driving test!

Is lack of education! I don't know how they passed the driving test!

You mean education on how to use technology that has been available for several decades now? Or education on how not to be such an egotistical, self-centered jackass who doesn't care about anybody else except themselves.

^^
That does describe most of the population.

...including me :D

^^
That does describe most of the population.

...including me :D

Oh, well! Nobody's perfect!:):cheers:

Is lack of education! I don't know how they passed the driving test!

Are you latin? if not, you have to understand....how people drive in Latin America.....my mom hates Miami, and she always jokes about how latins drive here like maniacs....she says that's because in their countries they were used to riding donkeys and now that they have cars here...they drive like idiots.....lol....sorry...I think is funny...but is true....most latins in this city do no respect the law...when driving.

Are you latin? if not, you have to understand....how people drive in Latin America.....my mom hates Miami, and she always jokes about how latins drive here like maniacs....she says that's because in their countries they were used to riding donkeys and now that they have cars here...they drive like idiots.....lol....sorry...I think is funny...but is true....most latins in this city do no respect the law...when driving.

Cubans don't drive monkeys... they eat them

You mean education on how to use technology that has been available for several decades now? Or education on how not to be such an egotistical, self-centered jackass who doesn't care about anybody else except themselves.
Both haha

Are you latin? if not, you have to understand....how people drive in Latin America.....my mom hates Miami, and she always jokes about how latins drive here like maniacs....she says that's because in their countries they were used to riding donkeys and now that they have cars here...they drive like idiots.....lol....sorry...I think is funny...but is true....most latins in this city do no respect the law...when driving.
Yes, I'm Hispanic, but I don't think that is the problem, I'm from California and as you probably know more than 40% of the population is Hispanic too, and you won't see crazy drivers over there as much as you see them here, it might be the fact that Latinos here (especially Cubans....) don't give a crap about laws, neither the city. Miami would be a better place if they had the same laws as San Diego :P.

Yes, I'm Hispanic, but I don't think that is the problem, I'm from California and as you probably know more than 40% of the population is Hispanic too, and you won't see crazy drivers over there as much as you see them here, it might be the fact that Latinos here (especially Cubans....) don't give a crap about laws, neither the city. Miami would be a better place if they had the same laws as San Diego :P.

This may be true of many people here in South Florida and some people would say Haitians can't drive at all, but I don't allow such broad-based generalizations about people in the Miami forum or anywhere in the North American forums for that matter.

Yes, I'm Hispanic, but I don't think that is the problem, I'm from California and as you probably know more than 40% of the population is Hispanic too, and you won't see crazy drivers over there as much as you see them here, it might be the fact that Latinos here (especially Cubans....) don't give a crap about laws, neither the city. Miami would be a better place if they had the same laws as San Diego :P.

By the time you wrote this comment you have had 12 993 post, I just hope all that post not are so stupid like this one here. and yes, i'm saying that because i am cuban with no ticket traffic ever untill now, been here for 22 years.

Cubans don't drive monkeys... they eat them

Monkeys???? I said DONKEYS.....lol

By the time you wrote this comment you have had 12 993 post, I just hope all that post not are so stupid like this one here. and yes, i'm saying that because i am cuban with no ticket traffic ever untill now, been here for 22 years.

Well, good for you!

http://www.walkscore.com/
Hahahaha-HAAAAA my old address in upstate new york got a 3!!! <not 30, 3 (three).


Hahaha it's a farm. Who'd a thought?

I typed in this address in Indiana by mistake and it got a 0 haha
my address here in Hialeah got a 57 which is okay :)

Not sure if this says more about Miami or the country as a whole that Miami is one of the most walkable cities in the country. Though, since this is probably just Miami city limits I guess it is sort of understandable.

I got a walk score of 100 and I live a good 2.5 miles from downtown (Toronto). Seems a little high if you ask me.

Well, good for you!

Thank You

and yes, i'm saying that because i am cuban with no ticket traffic ever untill now, been here for 22 years.

Was it because of one of those photo enforced intersections? Just curious. They are turning out not to be the revenue generators that cities hoped they would be because once people learn where they are or know they are there, they are a lot more wary of being caught by one. Makes perfectly good sense to me. There was an article on the front page of the Sunday Miami Herald about it. They probably do make a city more walkable though because then people slow down and stop for a yellow light in case they can't make it all the way through the intersection before the light turns red.

Was it because of one of those photo enforced intersections? Just curious. They are turning out not to be the revenue generators that cities hoped they would be because once people learn where they are or know they are there, they are a lot more wary of being caught by one. Makes perfectly good sense to me. There was an article on the front page of the Sunday Miami Herald about it. They probably do make a city more walkable though because then people slow down and stop for a yellow light in case they can't make it all the way through the intersection before the light turns red.

Thats a very good point Q, what i do not understand in the article is what was the first intention of this idea, Get more revenue or make the city more walkable !!! ummm.

Thats a very good point Q, what i do not understand in the article is what was the first intention of this idea, Get more revenue or make the city more walkable !!! ummm.

Sounds to me though as if the plan was to generate more revenue for the city, and then it backfired on them, but then, the end result is we have a more walkable city. Ain't life strange!:lol::cheers:

...

Sounds to me though as if the plan was to generate more revenue for the city, and then it backfired on them, but then, the end result is we have a more walkable city. Ain't life strange!:lol::cheers:

Indeed

I think I'd have to vote this one of the odder threads we've had here (not that there aren't many other contenders!) :lol:

I think I'd have to vote this one of the odder threads we've had here (not that there aren't many other contenders!) :lol:Yep...
One of the strangest is "Is Bicentenial Park the best place for the Miami Art Museum?"

A Yes or No question is a strange way to get a forum activated, but somehow it worked...

That's exactly why I titled it that way when I made it back in 2007. If you want a thread that lasts a long time, you gotta link bait it with incendiary or inflammatory topics that provoke a response... good or bad. It's the art of the forum! hehe ;)

Why don't we just poke a big hole in the MiamiHerald throwaway with a NYT article:

All four Florida metropilises are ranked as the worst for walkability.

Florida Again Found Most Dangerous Place for Pedestrians

On Wide Florida Roads, Running for Dear Life

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/16/us/16pedestrians.html?_r=1

. —As any pedestrian in Florida knows, walking in this car-obsessed state can be as tranquil as golfing in a lightning storm. Sidewalks are viewed as perks, not necessities. Crosswalks are disliked and dishonored. And many drivers maniacally speed up when they see someone crossing the street.

Then there are the long, ever widening arterial roads —those major thoroughfares lined with strip malls built to move cars in and out of sprawling suburbs.

It is no wonder that four Florida metropolitan areas, led by the Orlando region, ranked as the most dangerous places to walk in the country, according to a recent survey by Transportation for America, a nonprofit safety advocacy organization.

“So much of Florida has been built up so quickly in that era of the automobile-oriented design; it’s this sort of the boomer phenomenon,” said David Goldberg, communications director for the organization. “The tendency there has been to build the big wide arterials; you have these long superblocks and you can get up to a good speed.”

The Orlando-Kissimmee region was first out of 52 in the rankings of most dangerous pedestrian regions, with more than 550 pedestrians killed from 2000 to 2009. This translates to an annual fatality rate of 3 per 100,000 people. Second was Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, followed by Jacksonville and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach.

Of course the SuperBias-ed Herald was probably just talking about the IMMEDIATE downtown/brickell district.

A car hits a bus stop and lightpole in MiMo district
http://www.transitmiami.com/fdot/another-biscayne-boulevard-crash-takes-out-bus-shelter-and-light-pole-8th-crash-in-less-than-1-year

Nice city, very walkable. Drivers look at you like you're scum when you walk, you can feel it. It could be a side effect of the mind blowing number of homeless here; it is just implied that you're one of those "lesser fortunate" souls when you're walking, and less-than-me in my mediocre BMW.

^^ Dude, the Herald didn't make those rankings. It was a report by Walk Score that was written about in websites and newspapers across the country.
Miami once topped that list for being dangerous to pedestrians and the Herald wrote about it too.

It goes both ways...I had people walk in front of me - like if they own the street/road...I'd be like...."bitch...better move if you don't want to end up like a tortilla on the street" - I mean, people pay no attention either....is crazy...It has happend to me...I pay attention and all...and when you least expected, there is someone walking in front of your car....they might think I wont hit them...lol....:bash:

Hopefully you don't hit 'em. You're not being real tough by running over a pedestrian with a 2 ton car.

That's exactly why I titled it that way when I made it back in 2007. If you want a thread that lasts a long time, you gotta link bait it with incendiary or inflammatory topics that provoke a response... good or bad. It's the art of the forum! hehe ;)

U are so right....!!!! Last year I just put Lebron's name in the title of the thread and POW!!!!

Richard Florida analyzes walkability and Walk Score: http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/10/why-walkable-cities-arent-always-the-ones-you-think/279/

^ and Miami was the only large city in the entire South to make it into the Top 10 this year.

http://cdn.theatlanticcities.com/img/upload/2011/10/11/map_thumb.png

^^ That is one factor that certainly does not get considered by Walk Score. To quote Herman Cain, "I don't have the facts to back this up, but" I believe that lack of accountability among Miami drivers is pandemic. I start my day by reading the Herald, and I feel like at least once every week or two, I read an article about a hit-and-run. My sense is that this doesn't happen as frequently in other regions.

^^ That is one factor that certainly does not get considered by Walk Score. To quote Herman Cain, "I don't have the facts to back this up, but" I believe that lack of accountability among Miami drivers is pandemic. I start my day by reading the Herald, and I feel like at least once every week or two, I read an article about a hit-and-run. My sense is that this doesn't happen as frequently in other regions.

Here is your facts so you break out you 9-9-9 plan for saving pedestrians:

This list the pedestrian fatality rater per 100,000 population

1 Florida 2.51
2 Louisiana 2.38
3 District of Columbia 2.33
4 Maryland 1.98
5 Mississippi 1.96
6 South Carolina 1.95
7 New Mexico 1.94
8 Arizona 1.82
9 New Jersey 1.8
10 Delaware 1.69
11 New York 1.57
12 North Carolina 1.56
13 Montana 1.54
14 Georgia 1.53
15 California 1.52
16 Rhode Island 1.52
17 Texas 1.39
18 Alabama 1.36
19 Nevada 1.32
20 Alaska 1.29
21 Arkansas 1.25
22 Hawaii 1.24
23 Michigan 1.18
24 West Virginia 1.15
25 Missouri 1.14
26 Tennessee 1.11
27 Pennsylvania 1.06
28 Kentucky 0.95
29 Colorado 0.94
30 Virginia 0.93
31 Washington 0.92
32 Oregon 0.91
33 Illinois 0.86
34 Oklahoma 0.84
35 Maine 0.83
36 Minnesota 0.8
37 Vermont 0.8
38 Indiana 0.78
39 Kansas 0.78
40 Connecticut 0.74
41 Ohio 0.74
42 Massachusetts 0.73
43 Iowa 0.7
44 Utah 0.68
45 Wisconsin 0.67
46 Idaho 0.65
47 North Dakota 0.62
48 New Hampshire 0.6
49 Nebraska 0.5
50 South Dakota 0.49
51 Wyoming 0.37
- USA 1.33