DC is Fourth Best Car-Free City
If you enjoy the freedom of exploring your surroundings car-free, there’s little doubt that the DC area is one of the best places to live, work and visit in the entire nation. That’s due to several reports ranking DC as high in walkability, including the most recent placing the District as fourth on the list of best car-free cities.
The ranking by Redfin is generated from a compilation of walk scores involving cities with more than 300,000 residents. According to Redfin research, DC gains the fourth spot, helped by having a high Transit Score. With several bus routes, the Metro and the growing Capital Bikeshare program bringing more bike stations to the area, Washington DC is also credited with coming in at number two in the nation when it comes to cities with car-free residents.
An estimated 38-percent of households in DC don’t even own a car, but rather rely on walking or other transportation. The ranking also makes note of DC’s walkable neighborhoods, such as Georgetown, Dupont Circle and the Penn Quarter.
It’s not the first time DC has gained such an honor. Last summer an advocacy group linked to George Washington University ranked DC in second place when it comes to the nation’s most walkable cities. In that particular study researchers considered the 30 largest metro areas in the U.S. This seems to go in line with U.S. Census data that estimates about 12-percent of DC area commuters walk to work, one of the highest percentages in the country.
According to separate reports walkability is one of the drivers when it comes to higher home prices and higher rental prices. That’s why so many properties often list a Walk Score, giving new residents and homeowners some perspective in how they’ll be able to enjoy their new neighborhood and new surroundings car-free.
Post a Comment