How walkable is your city?...

"Everything is walking distance if you have the time."

True as Steven Wright's quote may be on theoretical terms, most people would place their bets on a more conservative definition of walking distance.

I only moved a couple hundred metres away from my old house in Peterborough, but I have come to realize that such a distance can have a significant impact on my lifestyle. I first noticed this impact when my parents came to visit for convocation a few weeks ago. When they would visit in the past -- my old house was located just north of Peterborough's downtown -- we would walk downtown in the evenings to one of the city's many downtown haunts, frequently enjoying one or many pints with our meals. We could then walk leisurely back to the house and relax before the night's driver could legally get back behind the wheel so my parent's could go back to their hotel.

But this time it was different. What was once a comfortable ten minute walk downtown has since turned into something that takes almost twenty minutes. Even for someone in their 20s this is a fair jaunt, and far more tiresome for a couple hovering around their 60s. Instead of walking we drove downtown, making for a less pleasant and fulfilling Peterborough experience.

Even on my own it is a bit different. While I bike mostly everywhere I go, a quick walk to the grocery store to pick up some food is now a thing of the past. To meet someone for food or a drink downtown I take my bike whereas I might have walked in the past.

My new residence was considerably less walkable than my previous one. And this was confirmed by a piece of software called Walk Score. You simply type in your address and it finds what is nearby to your house, giving you a score out of 100. It is very simple and useful.

Programs like Walk Score have several other benefits. If you are looking to buy or rent property, you can measure the walkability of the location. Same thing for visitors and tourists looking to walk around rather than drive.

There is a strong focus these days on alternative transportation: cycling, public transportation, carpooling, etc. Walking seems to get left in the dust much of the time. After living in an area with an extremely high walk score, I know just how pleasant, convenient and healthy such an area can be.