Walk Score (www.walkscore.com) recently released their walkability assessment rankings for the forty largest US cities and rankings for individual neighborhoods within them. The Walk Score is a web based interface that allows you to plug in an address and receive an instant evaluation of how “walkable” the neighborhood is, or how conducive a neighborhood is to reducing or eliminating the need for a car (high score = very walkable).
Many home buyers in Atlanta area interested in finding a home that puts them within walking distance of parks, shopping, dining, public transit, and work. One way to scout out such neighborhood is to use the Walk Score rankings of Atlanta neighborhoods. But, while the scoring and ranking provided by Walk Score is helpful, it is also somewhat limited and can be slightly misleading if solely relied upon.
For an illustrative example, consider the highest ranking Atlanta neighborhood, Five Points (different than Little Five Points) with a walk score equal to 95 of 100.
The Walk Score scoring system does not do a perfect job of accurately assessing the items it evaluates
While most points awarded to Five Points are legitimate, deeper investigation of points ferret out those points that should not have been awarded. The neighborhood does and should achieve high points for having within one mile of the neighborhood center: five MARTA transit stations, multiple restaurants, cultural resources and parks and Georgia State University close by. However, the neighborhood also receives high points for numerous grocers, but all of the nearby of grocers – with the exception of Sweet Auburn Curb Market, a true farmer’s market – are down-trodden convenience stores with little to no selection and very limited fresh food choices. The Walk Score scoring system picks up a large number of retailers within a one-mile area of Five Points, but it has no way to factor in an assessment for quality/ desirability of retailers or the streetscape created by store fronts.
The Walk Score does not include all important ‘walkability’ factors
Walk Score does not include into its calculation important measures that affect the comfort and safety of choosing foot over car like crime, perception, and blight. The Five Points area has always had a somewhat challenged perception in Atlanta. Among existing negative perceptions are high crime and dilapidated real estate.
Crime
High crime in the Five Points area is both perception and fact. Using crime statistics (http://www.crimereports.com) for the past thirty days (mid-December 2009 through mid-January 2010), the Five Points zip code (30303) accounted for approximately 17% of all crime in the City of Atlanta. In comparison, the Five Points zip code accounts for less than 1% of the population of the City of Atlanta (US Census). Therefore, this area is capturing more than 17 times it fair share of crime. Certainly such a disproportionately higher than average crime rate significantly and adversely impacts the area’s conduciveness to a car-free or car-reduced lifestyle.
Conclusion: Walk Score is a helpful tool, but just one of many
Five Points should not necessarily be struck from a potential location list, but it just will likely not be for all prospective buyers the slam dunk, A+ location that the “Walker’s Paradise” designation and highest walk score in Atlanta infer. The Walk Score is a useful tool, but one of many that should be used when conducting due diligence for your home purchase. Scores should not be taken on face value, and a little clicking around will help inform whether the score is flawed or correct. Using a crime statistics website to will help round out online research. Finally, an invaluable resource is a knowledgeable realtor that has great experience in the local market and has taken the time to understand personal decision criteria.
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