Walk This Way “Walkability” and where you want to live

There are a multitude of benefits to walking places, from the obvious health and exercise benefits of activity, to the need for less car infrastructure and less resulting pollution. Studies have shown that people who live in walkable communities have stronger social connections, which contribute to better mental health and quality of life. So, how can we define what is a “walkable neighbourhood”? This is 2021, so of course there is an app for that. It’s called Walk Score™.

Walk Score measures the walkability of any address using a patented system. For each address, Walk Score analyzes hundreds of walking routes to nearby amenities. Points are awarded based on the distance to amenities in each category. Amenities within a five-minute walk (about 340 metres) are given maximum points. A decay function is used to give points to more distant amenities, with no points given after a 30-minute walk.

Walk Score also measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing population density and road metrics such as block length and intersection density. Data sources include Google, Factual, Great Schools, Open Street Map, the U.S. Census, Localeze, and places added by the Walk Score user community.

• 90-100 “Walkers Paradise”: Daily errands do not require a car

• 70-89 “Very Walkable”: Most errands can be accomplished on foot

• 50-69 “Somewhat walkable”: Some errands can be accomplished on foot

• 25-49 “Car Dependant”: Most errands require a car

• 0-24 “Very Car Dependent”: All errands require a car

The Walk Score website also includes Transit Scores and Bike Scores for neighbourhoods as well, which takes into account things like proximity to bus and train stations, and for bikers, dedicated bike lanes and even the amount and steepness of hills.

In Metro Vancouver, the highest walk scores are predictably in the downtown areas of Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, New Westminster, and Surrey City Centre. In downtown Vancouver, Grosvenor’s The Pacific is a 39-storey residential tower with 224 homes and the restoration of an iconic heritage house, which has a Walk Score of 98 and is perfectly positioned to be close enough to walk everywhere, including the beach in English Bay.

Moving South in Vancouver, the Cambie Corridor is increasing its Walk Score every year as new residential buildings and businesses are created. The area’s newest addition, Voyce, is a solid concrete six-storey form that entwines aesthetic, quality, and sustainability, for a uniquely upscale living experience on the edge of Queen Elizabeth Park. Vancouver’s historic villages are also quite walkable, and have exciting new projects happening for the first time in years. Kerrisdale (90) will soon have Gryphon House on West Boulevard, Marpole (85) will be home to Revive, and Dunbar Village (81) will be home to Wesgroup’s elegant Dunbar & 39th.

In Burnaby’s Brentwood, Shape’s giant mega-project at Brentwood Town Centre (Walk Score 69) called The Amazing Brentwood, is just a small part of the burgeoning, walkable new centre. Amacon’s The Alaska will also grace the Brentwood Skyline soon, as will Solterra’s newest tower, the sophisticated Bordeaux. The neighbourhood’s amenities will also be bolstered by Concord Pacific’s newest master-planned community, Concord Brentwood. Further east in Burnaby, Lougheed Town Centre will be creating their own walkable community, and next door in Burquitlam, a large amount of development is increasing Walk Scores with every new mixed-use high-rise.

Metrotown is a Walkers’ Paradise (90), and has a tremendous revitalization underway, with the redevelopment of Metrotown Mall. Concord Metrotown is currently in the works, as is Intracorp’s Telford on the Walk. Other massive mall redevelopments into master-planned communities include Westbank’s Oakridge, CF Richmond Centre, Coquitlam Centre, and the recently announced major reinvention of Lansdowne Centre in Richmond.

Smaller, older village neighbourhoods in Metro Vancouver also offer great walkability, places like Port Moody, Steveston, Ladner, Burnaby Heights, downtown New Westminster, and White Rock, which has recently added the impressive, award-winning Foster Martin to its skyline.

Surrey City Centre already has an 86 Walk Score, and is getting more convenient all the time, with an extremely busy new home market and new buildings being announced all the time. The area is so popular that Square Nine’s newest tower Belvedere, completely sold out 275 homes in only 72 hours! Fortunately, there are many more opportunities to live in this very exciting neighbourhood, including Tien Sher’s newest project Q5. Q5 is a brand-new six-storey collection featuring 141 spacious homes, ranging from studios to family-friendly 3-bedrooms. Defined by contemporary architecture, refined interiors and well-planned layouts, Q5 provides a rare opportunity for exceptional urban living surrounded by every convenience. Plaza One at King George Hub is another new development by PCI Developments ready to take advantage of Metro Vancouver’s fastest-growing new city centre.

The District of North Vancouver has intelligently focused its new residential development on walkable nodes in five different village and town centres. In Lynn Creek, Intergulf’s Hunter at Lynn Creek is set to take advantage of this blossoming new walkable community. In the City of North Vancouver, North Harbour (formerly known as Harbourside Waterfront) is a new waterfront development by Concert Properties. North Harbour will be a vibrant, walkable, mixed use neighbourhood which will include 700 new condos, 100 market rentals, office space and a hotel, as well as retail and boutique storefronts.

If you are looking farther into the future, look to places a bit off the beaten track for exciting new master-planned communities. At the edge of Burnaby and New West is the low-key Edmonds neighbourhood, which will soon be home to Ledingham McAllister’s ambitious and massive new master-planned community called Southgate City. This extraordinary nearly 60-acre masterfully designed community will be shaped by magnificent glass towers and lush garden homes, encircling an expansive and meticulously planned five-acre central park. Scenic and meandering creekside parkways offer enjoyment for everyone. Day to day needs will be easily met with the convenience of community shops and services that include a gourmet grocer, restaurants, cafés, and the luxury of its own world class, park-side, fully programmed community centre.

Other master-planned communities that will soon offer a walkable lifestyle in the suburbs include Vesta Properties’ award-winning Latimer Heights, a 74-acre master-planned new home development in Langley boasting over 17 acres of parks, greenspace, walkways, a luscious centralized pond and a brand new elementary school, complete with a European-inspired village with shops, services and eateries. Maple Ridge will soon benefit from ERA, where approximately 1000 contemporary condominiums and city homes span three city blocks, complete with parks, shops, and office space. And it’s all connected to the best of local living, including the West Coast Express and a natural paradise. Close by is Brickwater at the Village, a mixed-use project by Falcon Homes with restaurants and retail, close to everything downtown Maple Ridge has to offer.

Walkability changes over time and with development, so getting into a neighbourhood that is developing into the future is always a good bet for a long-term investment. Check out Walk Score today and walk right into your perfect next home or investment property!