{"id":47581,"date":"2016-04-28T04:15:17","date_gmt":"2016-04-28T11:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redfindevelop.wpengine.com\/blog\/?p=47581"},"modified":"2020-10-06T20:06:50","modified_gmt":"2020-10-07T03:06:50","slug":"the-most-walkable-us-cities-of-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.redfin.com\/news\/the-most-walkable-us-cities-of-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nation’s Most-Walkable Cities Got Even More Walkable in 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New York remains the nation\u2019s most walkable city in the latest ranking by Walk Score<\/span>\u00ae, a Redfin company<\/span>. Walk Score ranked the most walkable U.S. cities with populations of more than 300,000. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Rank<\/strong><\/td>\nCity<\/strong><\/td>\nWalk Score<\/strong><\/td>\nChange from 2015<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nNew York, NY<\/a><\/td>\n88.9<\/td>\n+1.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nSan Francisco, CA<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n85.7<\/td>\n+1.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nBoston, MA<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n80.1<\/td>\n+1.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\nPhiladelphia, PA<\/a><\/td>\n78.3<\/td>\n+1.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
5<\/td>\nMiami, FL<\/a><\/td>\n78.2<\/td>\n+2.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\nChicago, IL<\/a><\/td>\n77.5<\/td>\n+2.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
7<\/td>\nWashington, D.C.<\/a><\/td>\n77.0<\/td>\n+2.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\nSeattle, WA<\/a><\/td>\n72.9<\/td>\n+2.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9<\/td>\nOakland, CA<\/a><\/td>\n71.5<\/td>\n+3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10<\/td>\nLong Beach, CA<\/a><\/td>\n69.0<\/td>\n+3.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Long Beach<\/span><\/a> edged out Baltimore (68.7) to bring some SoCal spirit to this year\u2019s ranking. The Southern California region was unrepresented on the top 10 list each of the past <\/span>two<\/span><\/a> years<\/span><\/a>. Long Beach also had the largest yearly increase of all 10 cities, up 3.2 points, helping it rank among the most walkable cities in the nation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRecognizing Long Beach as the most walkable city in Southern California, and one of the most walkable in the entire country, is a testament to the hard work we\u2019ve been doing to improve and expand pedestrian infrastructure and support safe and convenient travel for everyone,\u201d said Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. \u201cWe intend to continue making Long Beach a great place to walk and to live, work and visit.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA renaissance has been happening in <\/span>Downtown Long Beach<\/span><\/a>, which now has a Walk Score of 92,\u201d said Redfin agent <\/span>Michelle Zabukovec<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIn addition to some brand new buildings, developers are rehabilitating structures that were already in place. The city has even created an<\/span> incentive program<\/span><\/a> for rehabilitation projects, and has also focused on improving walkability by adding more pedestrian lighting to create safer sidewalks. One example of this is the <\/span>Pine Avenue Improvement Project<\/span><\/a>. And of course everyone loves <\/span>First Fridays on Atlantic Ave. and 2nd Street in Belmont Shore.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All of the top 10 cities saw an increase in their respective Walk Score ratings, indicating that the nation\u2019s most walkable cities are becoming even more walkable. Of the top 50 most walkable cities, only two, Honolulu and Columbus, improved by less than a point.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cImproving a city\u2019s Walk Score takes work. In these communities, construction crews have built an invitation for walking,\u201d said Eric Scharnhorst, livability analyst at Redfin. \u201cSafer sidewalks are now connected to a greater variety of everyday amenities. This creates opportunities for both local businesses and families.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Omaha<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> which ranked 32nd,<\/span><\/a> had the largest year-over-year Walk Score increase of the 50 most walkable cities, with an improvement of 4.3 points. With a Walk Score of 45.4, the city is still considered \u201ccar dependent,\u201d but many neighborhoods saw big gains in their ratings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis improvement in Omaha\u2019s Walk Score is likely thanks to revitalization projects underway in neighborhoods across the city,\u201d said Redfin real estate agent <\/span>Travis Thomas<\/span><\/a>. \u201cNotable areas of development include <\/span>Downtown<\/span><\/a>, Blackstone and Aksarben Village where developers have been creating a mix of residential and commercial real estate and rehabilitating older buildings.This efficient use of space and resources means that people can live, work and shop on the same block.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Six additional cities that ranked among the top 50 most walkable cities<\/a> saw notable increases in their scores from last year. St. Louis, Missouri, Denver, Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, Santa Ana, California, as well as Austin and Houston in Texas, all saw a Walk Score increase of four points or more. <\/span><\/p>\n

Below are the top 50 most walkable cities of 2016: <\/span>
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