50. That’s what Madison scored out of 100 on Walk Score’s walkability meter, making it a “somewhat walkable” city. Although in December, that usually drops to zero.
A walk score is a numeric ranking that represents the walkability of an address based on pedestrian-friendliness and access to businesses.
Points are given based on the distance between residential areas and businesses — including restaurants, retail, and entertainment. Businesses within five minutes (or about a quarter-mile) are given maximum points, with fewer points given to amenities located further away. Anything within a 30+ minute walk is given 0 points.
Pedestrian-friendliness is calculated by analyzing features of an area’s roads, including the population density, intersection density, and the length of blocks in the area.
A city’s walkability score is found by calculating the average walkability of many residential addresses in a city.
Trading in the walking shoes for wheels? Madison ranks slightly higher for bicyclists with an overall score of 66.
For a city that constantly makes US News’ Top Fittest Cities in the US, we have to say, we’re a little shocked by the lower number.
When you look at Madison’s top five most walkable + bikeable neighborhoods, the scores go up significantly, meaning that the isthmus itself is very walkable, while surrounding towns might need a car for certain errands.
- Downtown | Walk score: 92 | Bike score: 91
- State-Langdon | Walk score: 91 | Bike score: 88
- Marquette | Walk score: 85 | Bike score: 98
- Vilas | Walk score: 83 | Bike score: 95
- Greenbush | Walk score: 83 | Bike score: 99
What are your thoughts on Madison’s walkability? How many times a week do you use your car?