Chicago is known for many things: its pizza, its sports teams (for better or for worse) and now, its walkability. Wait, what? Yes, our city has been ranked the sixth most walkable city nationwide.
The ranking, released by Redfin on Thursday, showed Chicago’s walk score improving by 2.7 points since last year. Sometimes walking sucks, like when it’s minus-2 degrees outside and you’re slipping on ice trying to catch a train you’re most likely going to miss anyway, but it’s nice to know that hypothetically it’s easy to get around here on foot.
To calculate the scores, the real estate company calculated more than 2 billion walking paths throughout the U.S. It then incorporated factors such as the number of nearby amenities, pedestrian friendliness (no having to play “Frogger” to cross the street), population and how neighborhoods were mapped.
That increase, according to Redfin, can partially be attributed to the city’s plan to make Chicago more pedestrian-friendly. Thanks, Rahm.
“Improving a city’s Walk Score takes work. In these communities, construction crews have built an invitation for walking,” Eric Scharnhorst, livability analyst at Redfin, said in a statement. “Safer sidewalks are now connected to a greater variety of everyday amenities. This creates opportunities for both local businesses and families.”
So the next time you’re putting on your parka to trek through the snow or sweating in places you don’t want to name in that classic Chicago humidity, know it might not be for nothing.
@shelbielbostedt | sbostedt@redeychicago.com
