America Walks just launched a revamped Interactive Walkable Land Use Tool. It uses U.S. Census data and the EPA’s National Walkability Index to score communities by how well they locate housing in walkable areas. The tool also provides demographic data of who enjoys walkability, and who does not.
Why it matters
The tool looks not just at whether a place is walkable, but how many people live in walkable places as compared to less walkable places. Street design, land use, and access to transit are factors that actually shape whether people walk. Creating more housing in those walkable places is as important as improving street infrastructure. Walkable neighborhoods do a lot more than make it easier to get around.They help reduce pollution, support physical activity, improve health, and strengthen local economies. And that is our mission – allowing more people to enjoy the benefits of walkability.
What the data shows
Across every region, the data tells the same story:
- Older street grids score well. Neighborhoods built before the 1950s — with grid streets, mixed uses, and buildings close to the sidewalk — tend to be walkable no matter where they are in the country.
- Car-first development doesn’t. Places designed around driving score poorly as destinations tend to be far homes.
- It’s about choices, not location. Cities and counties in the same state, same climate, and same geography can have wildly different scores . This turns on whether they locate housing in the traditional older street grids near destinations, or in sprawling car first development.
Who has access?
Walkable areas tend to be more diverse, but that doesn’t mean access is equal. Native American communities are consistently the least walkable places in the country. And in areas that do score well, most residents are renters — which suggests that walkability often comes with a price tag many people can’t afford.
60% of Americans don’t live somewhere they can walk to meet their daily needs. That’s not just an inconvenience. It has real consequences for health, air quality, and quality of life.
What you can do
The tool is free and available now. You can look up your own community, compare it to nearby cities, and use the data to make the case for change at the local level. National numbers only tell part of the story — your city, county and state numbers should matter to your elected officials.
Explore the tool and see how your community stacks up.
