Walkability is the first step to urban sustainability. It makes our neighborhoods more economically robust, reduces our impact on the environment, and improves the health and happiness of our citizens. These benefits have persuaded many cities to make changes to become more walkable. The challenge is that it is difficult to manage something that you cannot measure. Additionally, walkability is a nebulous concept that is affected street connectivity, access to amenities, and the preferences of the pedestrian. Inspired by Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute and his concept of a "walkshed index", Aaron Ogle is researching ways to accurately calculate and map walkability.
Walkshed, the current incarnation of Aaron’s research, is a sophisticated web application that enables users to explore the walkability heat maps of Philadelphia and New York City. These heat maps visualize access to a diverse set of amenities (such as grocery stores, parks, and transit) by taking street connectivity and user preferences into account. For example, empty nesters may enjoy being near a wide variety of restaurants and theaters while families might prefer easy access to parks and playgrounds. By using Azavea’s DecisionTree technology, Walkshed enables users to pinpoint the neighborhoods that are walkable to the amenities that they want.
Walkshed was named a Top 10 Website of 2010 by Planetizen.