30 Jun 2010

greenHILLhome: A Stroll Around the Hill

Uploaded to Flickr.com by Claire Sambrook

Washington DC was recently rated one of the ten most walkable cities in the country.   It’s pretty easy to understand why—a compact city in area, fairly even, flat terrain, short city blocks and lots of shade from tree cover.  Capitol Hill scored thirteenth out of 34 neighborhoods in the District on the Walkscore scale of walkability with a score of 87 out of a possible 100.  How does your corner of the Hill rate? 

Walkscore is a digital scoring mechanism that users can employ to see how walkable a neighborhood is.  The program scores criteria such as distances to schools, hospital, post offices, and libraries; availability of retail and commercial uses in additional to residential; access to public parks; pedestrian-friendly design; and streets designed for cars, bicycles, mass transit, and the walker.  Pedestrian-friendly design takes into account shade, locations of parking lots in relation to buildings, and other amenities such as benches and bicycle racks.  A score is tabulated based on these factors.  Scores below 50 are deemed car-dependent, while those above 90 are considered a “walker’s paradise” with daily life being able to be carried out without the use of a car.

Walking is by far the greenest of personal transportation.  There’s no air pollution generated, no noise pollution, and daily physical activity is good for physical and mental health.  What’s more, being part of a walkable community can add up to $3,000 to your property’s value, according to a 2009 report from CEO for Cities.

You can use the Walkscore website to assess how walkable your own part of the Hill is (scores vary around the hill for mid-60s to low 90s) or assess the foot-friendliness of a potential home you are considering a move to.  My current address in the Hill East area netted a score of 68—not bad, but our neighborhood could use some more small-scale restaurants and some retail.  We also do need a car to run certain errands, but we are only a few blocks from a Metrorail stop.  An address a block from Stanton Park scored an 83, obviously closer to more public transit options, schools, and parks.  An address across the street from Eastern Market scored a 92, close to the highest possible on the Hill.

So how does your address stack up?  And what do you think the Hill needs to make it more pedestrian-friendly?

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10 responses to “greenHILLhome: A Stroll Around the Hill”

  1. Awads says:

    85, baby! (north lincoln park)

  2. Up until a few months ago, Walkscore said that there was an IMAX theatre at my address.

    As I sit here looking at my 27″ television (that every man I know yelled at me for, saying that I should buy the largest one I could afford) I can assure you that was inaccurate.

    Oh, and I’m a block NW of Lincoln Park and only got a 78. It also lists Young’s on 11th and C NE as a grocery store. Uh, try again, Walkscore.

  3. Brian says:

    Our address a block off of H St NE scored a 95! Guess Walkscore doesn’t factor in the massive sidewalk and crosswalk disruptions on H St right now.

  4. Maria Carey says:

    Oooh, a score of 89! Some of the data needs to be updated, but this was a lot of fun, Jon! Great post.

  5. Jon says:

    I’m not sure how often it’s updated, but you can add stores and landmarks to the maps if you know something is there that isn’t being reported. As for Nichole’s IMAX, well maybe someone saw your mammoth 27″ TV and was mistaken.

  6. K says:

    91 for the 1300 block of Ives Place SE (aka the one way street across from the Harris Teeter 😉 ).

  7. Andrea says:

    89 for Browns Court (across from the Market). Different from the 92 for another across from the Market. My favorite listing for nearby was the Rappahanock County library and the GPO for a nearby bookstore.

  8. Why is mine so low?? I can walk to stuff too! (I don’t usually, but that’s not the point.)

  9. Tim Krepp says:

    52???!!! What the hell?

    I’m not sure what good it does me that the nearest school is St. Colletta’s? And I don’t think I would classify Eastern Thrifty Market on 18th and A as a “grocery store”. It’s a sad excuse for a corner store.

  10. locus says:

    92 @ 13th & E NE!

    I’d like to thank all the business owners on H Street who have gradually improved my walkscore over the 8 years I’ve lived here.

    Does anyone know if there’s a “bikescore”?

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