Here are 12 of America’s most walkable cities with vacancies for renters
Of the many factors that entice visitors and new community members to a city, its walkability is pretty high on the list. Inviting sidewalk and smart traffic control drives foot traffic to restaurants and storefronts, making the area desirable for prospective businesses, which in turn attracts more people.
It’s a loop that begins with the infrastructure underfoot. And the advantages are many.
“Fewer cars are sustainable and better for the environment. It’s also better for your personal environment. More people walking means a healthier populace. Walking is more efficient. It makes you happier. It saves lives,” reads an analysis ranking 25 walkable American cities produced by Rent.com. “The economics of being a walkable city are numerous, from increased home values to eliminating the cost of owning a car. And it helps make a neighborhood a community.”
To rank communities, variables like the number of nearby restaurants, grocery stores, parks and coffee shops, commute time and public transportation were considered via data from Redfin’s Walk Score, which scores communities across the United States. Those numbers were then averaged based on properties currently available to renters.
Communities that didn’t make the top dozen, which are listed above, but were ranked in the best 25 include Los Angeles, Calif., New Haven, Conn., Newark and Elizabeth, N.J., Portland, Ore., San Mateo, Calif., Hartford, Conn., Minneapolis, Minn., Paterson, N.J., Torrance and Inglewood, Calif., Bridgeport, Conn. and Honolulu, Hawaii.
