As Calgary has expanded, like many other cities, the trend has been toward self-sufficient, self-contained, communities that are not well connected. Often termed urban sprawl – of which Calgary is a poster child – these communities are often built without walking in mind.
The result is a decrease in ‘walkable’ neighbourhoods, expressed in part by the decrease in the morning march of backpackers. The term walkability refers to, essentially, the extent to which a given neighbourhood or area is conducive to walking.
In the urban sprawl communities, the disconnected series’ of cul-de-sac’s and looping or dead end streets means that walking from place to place is inefficient at best. Compare this to an inner city with a grid-system of roads where streets and avenues are all connected. There is also a trend in these communities towards convening to a central point for shopping. Large supermarkets and ‘big box’ stores are typical as opposed to smaller but more populated corner markets. Usually, the end result is a dependence on a car.
There is more to walkability than what is covered under urban sprawl, however. Think of your neighbourhood and what role the following factors play:
- Quality and quantity of sidewalks
- Access to amenities
- Well-lit streets
- Perception of safety and crime rate
- Consistent winter snow removal
- Access to transit, parks & playgrounds
- Aesthetically pleasing scenery
- Safe crosswalksContinuous sidewalks
- Topography – flat or hilly
The list above is not considered comprehensive but gives an idea of what a walkable neighbourhood might look like.
A clever new website – www.walkscore.com – takes a stab at assessing the walkability of any given neighbourhood. By simply inputting your address, the website generates a “walkability score” and a list of nearby amenities.
Unfortunately the score is generated solely on proximity to these amentities and, of course, is unable to address factors such as crime rate, quality and quantity of sidewalks, transit access, and so on. In any case, you may be surprised to learn the walkability score of your neighbourhood.
