What's all the fuss about "walkability?"

Walkability is a key indicator of the health and vitality of modern cities.

Walkable neighborhoods typically are safer, friendlier, healthier, and more environmentally efficient.  Residents of walkable neighborhoods address their daily needs on foot or bicycle.  Automobile ownership is not necessary—and services like Uber and Lyft, Car2Go, and traditional rental cars fill in the gap in circumstances where car ownership previously might have been needed.

Millenials--who are the demographic most coveted by modern employers—especially value walkable neighborhoods.  They point to the enhanced sense of community that exists in walking neighborhoods, the cost-savings benefit (estimated to be in the typical range of $6,000 per year) of eliminating ownership of a single car, and the “making a contribution to the planet” benefit of walkable neighborhoods.  And they speak with their pocketbooks: walkable neighborhoods often command premium prices when it comes time for home purchases.