Harriet Tregoning

District of Columbia Office of Planning

Getting to Walkability- Using Walk Score as Planning Metric and Goal

February 4, 2010

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Attributes of a Globally Competitive City/Region

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Attributes of a Globally Competitive City/Region

DC, an emerging transportation and livability leader- “Alternative” transportation no longer•Walk/bike/transit/carpool commuting share > 50%•SmartBikes bike sharing going from 100 -1000 bikes

this year •2nd in rail ridership – 1 million daily riders •1st in number of walkable places per capita (12% of

residents walk to work)

Percent Census Households with No Cars

(By Census Block Group)

8C

5B

3D

6D

5A

8D

4A

2A

5C

3G

3F

7D

3C

4B

6B

7B

7A

2E

3E

6C 7C

7E

4C

8B8A

8E

1B

2F6A

2B 2C

4D

1A

3B 1C

1D

2D

Legend

ANCsPct No Car - Census

0-20

20-30

30-40

40-60

60-85

Source data from DMV Destiny system, extract as of June 30, 2005.Only active registration records and driver licenses included.

Commercial vehicles excluded.

Pct No Car - Census

Promoting Healthy Built Environments in DC: Walkable Urbanity

Walkable UrbanityMany parts of the District are designed to encourage walking and active lifestyles:

•Compact development

•Interesting streetscape & public realm

•Notable historic character

•Great destinations including shopping districts, parks and recreation centers

•Safe pathways

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How could we walk more?

• Half the trips we make are less than three miles;

• 40 percent are less than two miles;

• 28 percent are less than one mile ; and

• 13.7% are less than a half mile.

• Yet 75 percent of trips of less than one mile are made by car.

Sources: National Household Travel Survey, 1995. 2001-2002, US FHA; National Walking and Bicycling Study, Environmental Building News, Aug 2007, Driving to Green Buildings: The

Transportation Energy Intensity of Buildings

Using Walkscore in Planning

Walkscore & Affordability

Source: http://htaindex.cnt.org/

Monthly transportation costs in $ terms can be as much as 300% greater between a location efficient neighborhood and an auto dependent neighborhood

Walk Score out of 100:2000 14th St NW, Washington, DC = 943400 Mt Burnside, Dale City, VA = 45

Walkscore & Retail Attraction• Capturing the revenue potential of

“walkers” by changing the metric larger regional and national retailers use evaluate potential sites

• In Washington, DC almost 20% of daily trips are taken by transit, and nearly 30% of trips are on foot, bike, or school bus

• Relying on automobile traffic volumes to evaluate a potential site in an urban area may underestimate demand and potential revenue.

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Walkscore & Regional Planning

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Regional Activity Centers

•Urban Core•Mixed Use Centers•Employment Centers•Suburban Employment Centers•Emerging Employment Centers

Walkscore & Regional Planning: Tyson’s Corner (Walkscore = 80)

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Current Proposed

Walkscore & Neighborhood Planning –Bellevue Revitalization Plan

• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a Metro station

• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a full service grocery store

• 0% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a Smart Bike station

• 88% of residents live within a 15 min walk of a Car Sharing location

• 3.7% of residents walk to work

• 99% of residents within 15 min walk of a park

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Towards a “Walkers Paradise” –Bellevue Plan Recommendations

• Develop three underutilized nodes with a mix of uses

• Increase density to support neighborhood serving retail

• Attract grocery tenant

• Recruit stores to participate as members of the Healthy Corner Store Program

• Encourage local businesses to participate in a cooperative buying agreement with the Ward 8 Farmers market for distribution of fresh, healthy food options

• Improve walking paths and recreation offerings

Other Uses of Walkscore•Underwriting criteria•Tracking plan implementation progress•Shorthand for regional progress•Employer recruiting tool

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For more information

Harriet Tregoning

Director

District of Columbia Office of Planning

2000 14th Street NW

Suite 4000

Washington DC 20009

202-442-7600

harriet.tregoning@dc.gov