Walkshed New York City

Walkshed uses DecisionTree to calculate and map walkability based on personal preferences.  One individual might define walkability as being close to subway stations and restaurants, while another might prefer to be close to cultural organizations and parks.   How customizable and scalable are these walkability preferences?

Scalable Architecture

For New York City, Walkshed contains 17 preferences each of which can be set to 11 values— that's 505,447,028,499,293,771 possible maps that users can select from.  To put that number into context, that amounts to 60 billion distinct maps for each of the 8,363,710 NYC residents.  Distributed computing enables DecisionTree to complete these processor-intense calculations quickly using multiple servers with multiple threads running per processor.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development does not just mean a cleaner environment; it also requires establishing local economies that are economically viable and socially responsible. It will involve a shift in mindset in terms of how we approach individual life, business, and government.  And it will require the transformation of both public policy and the technologies we use to operate our community systems.

At the heart of it all is geography. Measuring a city’s walkability is just the beginning.  Planning water sources, land use, optimal public transit routes, better sidewalk networks and bike lanes, traffic light timing, and distance from diverse habitats are just a few of the ways that geographic technology can help us make our towns and cities operate in a more sustainable manner.

The DecisionTree software that makes Walkshed possible can help you answer these questions. It is the engine that enables users of Walkshed.org to understand which neighborhoods are most walkable based on their individual priorities. Its core value is to enable you to weight and prioritize multiple geographic decision factors to identify the best locations for specific activities.

Planning processes and public decisions often require extensive involvement by interested parties. Behaviors and policies are slow to change, but we're excited to help. What is your vision for sustainable living?  We can help you make a geographic case for your community. 

Contact us at info@azavea.com