What makes a community "walkable?" What is it about New York, Boston, Rome that beg a more intimate look than a car can provide? Why are there far fewer cars per capita in countries outside of the U.S.? What are the "rules of thumb"-or toe-that capture the common denominators of the places people walk most in?
Urban planners, sociologists and others have long looked at the factors influencing walkability. The biggest factor affecting a decision to walk is distance. Most people are willing to walk a quarter to a half mile. A few people are willing to walk greater distances. Arlington's planning for pedestrian travel has built on this principal. Providing higher densities and pedestrian facilities within this walk zone around Metro stations has made Arlington a national leader in transit oriented development.
In Arlington, the goal IS a walkable community, and WALKArlington is the name of the primary initiative to make it so! An inter-disciplinary, cross-cultural citizen and staff-driven effort, WALKArlington is part of an even bigger plan to realize Arlington's intrinsic "urban village" nature, where goods and services and other needs are located close to one another and to residences and workers, and where walking is simply the safest, healthiest and most enjoyable way to get around.
FYI: Dan Burden, whose criteria appear in the sidebar on this page, is the founder of Walkable Communities, a non-profit that advocates for good design for pedestrians.
