As recently confirmed by these two Texans engaging in a stick and baseball bat fight in the middle of traffic, driving is most certainly a terrible way to get around. However, as evidenced in a new study from Redfin excerpted by the Associated Press, very few people in the United States even have the ability to comfortably walk from one location to another.
In fact, just 14 percent of U.S. neighborhoods are considered "affordably priced, walkable, and near decent schools." Seattle and Washington D.C., respectively, contain the bulk of neighborhoods found within that 14 percent utopia. "Cities have not kept up with consumer tastes," Redfin's Nela Richardson tells AP. "These balanced neighborhoods are an endangered species right now."
Redfin's study included 170 neighborhoods in 20 different cities, with just 24 neighborhoods in eight of those cities regarded as affordable, walkable, and school-friendly. Walkability, specifically, is now considered a "growing emphasis" due to the fact that younger generations are far more likely to commute via foot than their older (and generally more car-bound) counterparts.
Adams Morgan in Washington D.C. reportedly snagged a healthy chunk of the study's bragging rights, a region practically bursting at the seams with highly walkable bars and restaurants and general neighborhood boosters. "A lot of the homeowners who did purchase [new homes] already lived in Adams Morgan," Brenda Moreno, a local broker, tells AP. "People want to be very close to work."
Seattle's University District, however, took the top spot. No surprise there.
