According to Walkscore.com, Asheville is one of North Carolina’s most walkable cities, second to Boone and tied with Chapel Hill.
What makes a city or neighborhood walkable? Walkable neighborhoods offer surprising benefits to the environment, our health, our finances, and our communities.
- Environment: Cars are a leading cause of climate change. Your feet are zero-pollution transportation machines.
- Health: The average resident of a walkable neighborhood weighs 6-10 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.1
- Finances: One point of Walk Score is worth up to $3,000 of value for your property. Read the research report.
- Communities: Studies show that for every 10 minutes a person spends in a daily car commute, time spent in community activities falls by 10%.3
What makes a neighborhood walkable?
- A center: Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it’s a main street or a public space.
- People: Enough people for businesses to flourish and for public transit to run frequently.
- Mixed income, mixed use: Affordable housing located near businesses.
- Parks and public space: Plenty of public places to gather and play.
- Pedestrian design: Buildings are close to the street, parking lots are relegated to the back.
- Schools and workplaces: Close enough that most residents can walk from their homes.
- Complete streets: Streets designed for bicyclists, pedestrians, and transit.
What’s the most walkable area of Asheville? Well downtown, of course. While Asheville’s overall walkscore is only 57%, downtown Asheville scores at 97% because there’s a high density of nearby amenities.
Another great reason to live in downtown Asheville!
(View the Walkscore of any address by visiting Walkscore.com.)
Descriptions of walkable communities and data courtesy of Walkscore.com.
