2011 Miami ranks 8th as ‘most walkable’ city!

[ftlauddude]

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/2011/07/1...#ixzz1SaYgCvyk


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

[spellbound]

Originally Posted by ftlauddude

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

[casamagda]

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.

[spellbound]

Originally Posted by casamagda

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.

[casamagda]

Originally Posted by spellbound

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?

[casamagda]

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.

[-Corey-]

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.

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

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.

[-Corey-]

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

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

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.

[-Corey-]

Originally Posted by QuantumX

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

[miami305]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

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.

[URBANITY REPORTS]

Originally Posted by miami305

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

[miami305]

Originally Posted by URBANITY REPORTS

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

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

[-Corey-]

Originally Posted by miami305

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.

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

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.

[HavanaMiami1977]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

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.

[-Corey-]

Originally Posted by HavanaMiami1977

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!

[HavanaMiami1977]

Originally Posted by -Corey-

Well, good for you!

Thank You

[QuantumX]

Originally Posted by HavanaMiami1977

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.