Walk Score™ As a Global Estimate of Neighborhood Walkability

Abstract

Background Walk Score™ has recently been demonstrated as a valid and reliable tool for estimating access to nearby facilities, a critical component of the physical activity environment. It has not yet been determined whether Walk Score relates to other critical components of the physical activity environment including street connectivity, access to public transit, residential density and/or crime. Purpose The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between Walk Score and objective/subjective measures of the physical activity environment. Methods Walk Scores were calculated for residential addresses of 296 participants of two RCTs (2006–2009). Street connectivity, residential density, access to public transit provisions and crime were objectively measured (GIS) and cross-referenced with Walk Scores and participant's perceptions of the environment (e.g., perceived crime, access to physical activity facilities, perceived neighborhood walkability). Pairwise Pearson correlations were calculated in March 2010 to compare Walk Score to subjective/objective measures of neighborhood walkability. Results Significant positive correlations were identified between Walk Score and several objective (e.g., street connectivity, residential density and access to public transit provisions) and subjective (e.g., summed score of the physical activity environment) measures of the physical activity environment. However, positive correlations were also observed between Walk Score and crime. Conclusions Collectively, these findings support Walk Score as a free, easy to use and quick proxy of neighborhood density and access to nearby amenities. However, positive associations between Walk Score and reported crime highlight a limitation of Walk Score and warrant caution of its use.

Walkable scores for selected three east Texas counties: physical activity and policy implications

“…These data were accessed from www.walkscore.com in the spring of 2015. According to Duncan et al, (2011), Walk Score® (www.walkscore.com) is a publicly available large-scale method for calculating walkability (Carr et. 2010(Carr et.…”

What’s the Score? Walkable Environments and Subsidized Households

“…Additionally, several studies show that Walk Score can be a valid and reliable measure of estimating neighborhood walkability [61,62,[77][78][79]. For instance, Carr, Dunsiger and Marcus [62] evaluated the validity and reliability of Walk Score to identify neighborhood walkability based on GIS objective measurements and perceived assessments in Rhode Island.…”

“…Additionally, several studies show that Walk Score can be a valid and reliable measure of estimating neighborhood walkability [61,62,[77][78][79]. For instance, Carr, Dunsiger and Marcus [62] evaluated the validity and reliability of Walk Score to identify neighborhood walkability based on GIS objective measurements and perceived assessments in Rhode Island. By employing the Pearson's correlation test, they showed that there were significant positive relationships between Walk Scores and various neighborhood walkability indicators (street connectivity, residential density, and access to public transit provisions) as well as between Walk Scores and perceived measurements (summed score of various physical activity environment).…”

“…A large proportion of young adults in Austin tend to live in the central areas where there are natural and cultural amenities and economic growth [63]. Furthermore, the central urban areas of Austin have high walkability characterized by greater density of retail destinations, intersection density, and population density [61,62].…”

“…In addition to the benefits mentioned above (individual health, social cohesion, and environmental conservation), people living in inner city areas with high walkability may take advantage of shorter travel time to work, greater access to public transit, and an abundance of retail destinations [61,62], as well as cultural amenities, urban lifestyle, and nightlife [63,64]. For these reasons, walkable neighborhood amenities and a vibrant inner city economy can lead to population increases within the inner city and thus contribute to gentrification.…”