What Are the Values of a Walkable Neighborhood?
Walkable neighborhoods and communities provide a variety of benefits, from more efficient land use, to improved fitness and public health, to greater community livability. Communities designed for walking can reduce the amount of land used for roadway and parking facilities and develop using more accessible, clustered land use (Litman 2003). Studies have linked sprawling land use with obesity and increased odds for hypertension or high blood pressure. An American Journal of Health Promotion article found that people living in the most sprawling areas were likely to weigh six pounds more than people in compact areas. Community livability refers to the environmental and social quality of an area as perceived by residents and visitors. Because streets are a major part of the public realm where people interact with their community, walkable streets contribute to positive perceptions of community livability (Litman 2003).
