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Denver ranks #11 in Walkability
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I recently stumbled upon a website that ranks the “walkability” of any given address. To my surprise Denver ranked #11 of America’s most walkable cities. According to Walkscore.com, 43% of Denver residents have a Walk Score of 70 or above (100 being the highest). 81% have a Walk Score of at least 50 and only 19% live in car-dependent neighborhoods.
This got me thinking about how much, or how little, Americans walk. It’s well know that European cities are more compact and lend themselves to walking. Europeans walk everywhere, including daily stops at the grocery store. They even lose weight when grocery shopping! Conversely, Americans walk an average of one third less, we tend to drive everywhere – for some their only walking is from the parking lot to their desk and from the garage into their house. This is part of the reason roughly 25% of Americans are obese, while only 7% of Europeans are.
Sadly with urban sprawl and so many American living in suburbs, this does lead to inactivity which results in weight gain. Should we factor in the walkability of a house or apartment when relocating? LoDo has a Walk Score of 97, while Park Hill’s score is 67. (See other Denver neighborhoods). Yes, there are numerous other factors to consider, but perhaps if we consider the walkability of our residence, we could improve our healthy lifestyle.
While I don’t live in a very walkable neighborhood, I did choose to live on the third floor – I climb those stairs several times a day. So, even when I don’t have time to set aside for a workout, I am accumulating activity expenditure each time I go up those stairs. Any time you walk at all, 10 minutes here or 5 minutes there, it does add up. Walking in 6 ten minute blocks of time is as effective as walking for an hour straight. So, if you can try walking to complete some of your errands. If you don’t live in a walkable neighborhood, see what is within walking distance at your workplace. Do all the small things – take the stairs, park at the back of the parking lot, walk to get your mail (how many of you stop the car at the mailbox?) – by the end of the day you’ve gotten in some more exercise. Remember, small steps can make a difference in your healthy lifestyle.
Check back for my next article on the numerous benefits of walking.
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