The First point: Check out the Living in Seattle with Sean McConnell YouTube channel. YouTube generously sent RantWoman this item about walkability. RantWoman is going to start here but YouTube promises other Seattle-themed videos that RantWoman will look at later.
A few fast points from RantWoman's entirely non-driver perspective:
Sean mentions WalkScore values for each neighborhood mentioned. RantWoman needs to check what exactly goes into WalkScore because in RantWoman's experience mileage will vary.
Mileage will vary based on steepness of many walking routes, very uneven condition of sidewalks and level of traffic and road noise, as well as need for amenities like curb ramps and cycling infrastructure.
RantWoman would find it interesting to think about these aspects of the built environment in relation to housing costs, but that analysis is not on the agenda tonight.
Also, not on the agenda: the features of the exact routes a person will travel most often. This might be housing / work / school / shopping. Or, in the case of RantMom's last days, the RantSisters were glad to be able to place RantMom mid city at an Adult Family Home on Boyer Avenue in Montlake. The location was accessible both for RantWoman with white cane and Little Sister with her wheelchair. We also got intimately familiar with all sorts of sidewalk hiccups between the bus stop and the facility. At least RantMom was one bus away from the RantSisters instead of the much longer travel time to RantMom's previous retirement community almost to Renton.
RantWoman digresses but a big consideration in the RantFamily has been people who want to live close but not too close.
One interesting crowd source world for more information is a project through the UW Taskar center called AccessMap. More on AccessMap separately.
Last weekend RantWoman was invited to a potluck deep in residential Ballard, 10 blocks off 24th Ave NW. It was a bright sunny day. RantWoman figured in Ballard the odds of continuous if imperfect sidewalk routing to and from bus stops were decent. Google Maps was reasonably helpful. And that part of Ballard has glorious vegetation and magnificent views of Puget Sound.
RantWoman has a lot more to say about walkability for people of different abilities, but not tonight.
One closing tip when making decisions about locations, go there on whatever mode(s) of transportation you are going to rely on. This may mean needing to tell a real estate agent "no thank you" about offers a ride, but it's going to be your housing.
And if transportation realities look less than optimal but you have energy for political engagement, a number of neighborhoods have very active community organizations working to upgrade problematic situations.
Another eldercare digression: the RantSisters rejected several adult family homes without even a visit because of travel time, iffy sidewalks, and steep grade between location and bus stop.
#JourneyMap
