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2017 R ena i s s anc e P l an U pdat e | T own of W ak e F or e s t
3.8 Area Walkability
Increasingly, whether an area is walkable, or not, has become very important to making places successful. Investors, businesses, employees and residents alike are increasingly desiring more and more walkability in the places they live, work and play. Several factors impact the walkability of a location: »» the amount and variety of amenities that are within 1/4–1/2 mile »» connected sidewalks and other off- street paths »» the quality of the streetscape and pedestrian environment Walk Score (www.walkscore.com) uses an algorithm to calculate the walkability index of a location. Amenities such as businesses, parks, shops, theaters, schools and other
common destinations within a 1/4 mile distance are given more points and the farther away the amenity, the less points are awarded. High walkability correlates to significant increases in real estate value and desirability. Figure 3.8 on the opposite page shows the walkability index, the Walk Score, of neighborhoods in and around the Renaissance Area. The historic core of downtown scores fairly high, as expected, but the Walk Score drops quickly as the neighborhoods get farther and farther from downtown. As a point of reference, Manhattan, NY receives a perfect Walk Score of 100. Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill, NC gets a walkscore of 86 and Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh gets a 78.
Walkability is about the journey and the destination.
S S Highly walkable historic core
S S Opportunity to improve walkability along E. Jones Ave
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