July 17, 2008
Another Day, Another Questionable Top-Ten List: SF Declared Most Walkable City
This item (and its somewhat creepy, algorithm-based, heat sensor-looking map) has made the rounds in almost every media outlet over the last couple of days. It seems that the jewel by the Bay has been ranked the most strutable city in the universe. Ever. Which? Is why many people move/stay in San Francisco: to live a car-fee lifestyle. The score was tallied by WalkScore.com, some sort of service to "help those seeking a less automobile-dependent life." Anyway, the top five nabes in SF are as follows. Ahem:
1. Chinatown
2. Financial District
3. Downtown
4. North Beach
5. Mission
Wait, Chinatown scored the top spot? Goodness. More often that not, we'd rather chew our thumbs off than walk through the chaotic Chinatown, but go figure. Oh, and the least walkable neighborhood in SF went to Lakeshore. Find out where your hood ranked here.
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Most walkable of all cities? That's kind of odd, considering how hilly it is, but whatever. It's definitely one of the top two, I'd say. I moved here specifically so I wouldn't have to own a car. And I moved to my neighborhood specifically so I wouldn't have to rely on public transit too much, either.
So yay SF.
WalkScore's methodology is rather primitive but it's a start. Hills (elevation changes) are not part of the equation, and I doubt if they're calculating quality/variety/affordability of local businesses.
That Chinatown would rank #1 is no surprise. The close concentration of grocery stores, restaurants, banks, etc. is unmatched elsewhere in the city.
What do they mean by "downtown"? I've always thought "downtown" to be synonymous with the Financial District.
"Primitive" is a good way to describe the methodology. It doesn't take into account things like particular locations or even particular times. I live at 20th and Judah, which I suppose is technically "Outer Sunset" but with the the Irving business corridor and the park right there, I'd argue that where I'm at is much, much more "walkable" than the Financial district on evenings and weekends.
Downtown refers to the Civic Center and Tenderloin (more or less), according to walkscore.com.
Downtown refers to Civic Center? hmm.... interesting. I kinda consider that area the outside border of downtown with Van Ness as the absolute line. ANyway ... love San Francisco and love I can walkabout, bike, and ride transit to pretty much every destination I need. Yeah! :)
Who is in that picture its pretty rocking.
This city is great for walking, I've been here 11 years w/o a car.
And now w/ zipcar and safeway.com (for dogfood) its downright convenient (especially as I watch people getting tickets which have been raised to extortionist level rates)
I'd rather walk through Chinatown than take the 30. It's faster, and you actually get elbowed less dodging shoppers and hanging pigs than you do standing on the bus.
Still doesn't make it 'walkable.'
I think this town is very walkable in that people who live here almost always have at least a few things that they can (and do) walk to. There are many cities in the country where walking is never an reasonable option.
The people who compiled this evidently have never tried to use the sidewalks in the neighborhoods, where louts park their cars completely blocking the way. Traffic control officers come twice to check if someone who doesn't have a residential sticker has overstayed his or her hour and sail right past cars forcing pedestrians, including seniors pushing their groceries and parents with strollers or toddlers, out into the street. Not to blame them. Obviously, their orders come from on high. Has the mayor ever said a word about this?
Grumpydick, er, I mean grumpyduck:
So *your* the one who keeps calling DPT on my 67-year-old mother when she parks her PT Cruiser in her OWN FUCKING driveway rather than park 10 blocks away and limp all the way home with her Safeway bags.
Oops, that *your* should read your. Thought I was on reddit for a second there.
Walks from Mission @ 20th to Great Hwy @ Fulton most weekends. And sometimes back.
Blows smoke at all the blue canaries along the way.
Katerose:
I think you mean "you're."
If your mother has a driveway, then she has a garage. Use it. If it's occupied with her second car, she can pull up or double-park, unload the groceries quickly, then move the car. Nobody gets ticketed who's obviously in the middle of running in and out.
A driveway is no more a parking space than the middle of the street is a parking space. Both are pathways for travel -- in the case of a driveway, its use is for passage from the street into a garage. Tell me when you start supporting letting cars just stop and park in a lane of traffic.
katerose: it should have been "you're." I feel your pain, but really, way to take it out on someone else.
Katerose: your mother shouldn't be parking in the driveway blocking the sidewalk. what if someone ELSE's mother, equally disabled, but without the luxury of a car is trying to walk HER groceries home from Safeway? Your mother's car forces that old lady to walk in the middle of street to get around the car!
If your mother is so disabled she should get a disabled placard for her car. with that you can park anywhere in the city and not even have to pay meters.
I'm surprised that NYC is not considered more "walkable"--- I've lived both in SF proper as well as NYC. I would say Manhattan is a wee bit more walk-friendly.
Manhattan is no doubt more walkable than San Francisco as a whole – even WalkScore shows that. It's the outer boroughs that lower New York City's score as a whole. Damn B&T crowd, nothing but trouble.