Walkable City Book Summary
How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time
Book by Jeff Speck
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1. Why Walkability
The Rise Of The Creative Class And Their Strong Preference For Walkable Cities
A large and growing percentage of college-educated millennials are choosing to live in urban, walkable neighborhoods instead of auto-centric suburbs. Companies are following their lead, relocating offices from suburban campuses to downtown areas in order to attract this coveted talent pool. 64% of college-educated millennials first decide where they want to live, and only then look for a job there.
A whopping 77% plan to live in America's urban cores. Walkability has become a key factor in the competition between cities over the millennials and creatives who will power economic growth.
Section: 1, Chapter: 1
Calculating The Per-Point Value Of Walk Score On Residential Property Values
Rigorous studies have quantified the impact of Walk Score on property values. Each additional Walk Score point correlates with between $500-3000 in increased home value, all else being equal.
For example, a 2009 study by Joe Cortright in Charlotte found that an increase from a Walk Score of 54 (somewhat walkable) to 71 (very walkable) correlated with a rise in average sales price from $280K to $314K. This equates to a $2000 per-point premium, or $34,000 in added value from just 17 Walk Score points. While the magnitude varies by market, it's clear that walkability, as measured by Walk Score, translates directly into increased real estate value.
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Walkable Cities Save Residents Time and Money While Boosting the Local Economy
The case of Portland, Oregon shows the tremendous financial upside of walkable urbanism for both households and entire metro regions:
- The average Portland resident drives 20% less than their counterparts in other major metros, or about 4 miles less per day. This equates to $1.1 billion in savings per year that residents aren't spending on vehicles.
- Less driving means less time wasted in traffic. Portland residents spend 11 minutes fewer per day stuck in peak hour congestion compared to 10 years ago. The entire region gains $1.5 billion worth of time savings.
- When these savings from reduced car ownership and usage are spent locally, it provides a significant boost to neighborhood businesses. Portland's "Green Dividend" from walkability yields huge economic benefits for the region.
Section: 1, Chapter: 1
Obesity Rates Have Skyrocketed As America Has Rebuilt Itself Around The Car
Over the past 40 years, the US has undergone an unprecedented obesity epidemic fueled largely by our development patterns:
- In the mid-1970s, only 1 in 10 Americans was obese. By 2007, that number had risen to a shocking 1 in 3 adults, with another third clinically overweight.
- The childhood obesity rate has more than tripled since 1980. 25% of young men and 40% of young women are now too overweight to enlist in the military.
- As recently as 1991, no state had an obesity rate above 20%. By 2007, only one state (Colorado) was still under 20%. Several states now exceed 30% of adults.
- Numerous studies have directly linked time spent driving with increased risk of obesity. One study found a 6% rise in likelihood of obesity for each additional hour spent in a car per day.
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Inactivity From Driving Everywhere Is Now A Bigger Killer Than Smoking
"Excessive weight now kills more Americans than smoking. Over the past decade, there has been a series of studies that attribute obesity and its related illnesses directly to the automotive lifestyle and, better yet, to the automotive landscape. One effort found that for every additional five minutes Atlanta-area residents drove each day, they were 3 percent more likely to be obese. Another showed that drivers who switch to public transit drop an average of five pounds."
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Living Close to Daily Needs Provides Far Greater Eco-Benefits Than Having a "Green" Home
Many people think they are helping the environment by purchasing a LEED-certified "green" home. However, the energy efficiency gains of green building pale in comparison to the energy savings from living in a walkable neighborhood close to jobs, schools, shopping and other daily destinations.
- A conventional home in a walkable neighborhood loses out to an energy-efficient "green" home in drivable sprawl once transportation energy usage is factored in. The green home used twice as much energy overall.
- Household energy comprises only a small fraction of total energy use. Transportation is a much bigger slice of the pie.
- LEED building standards only marginally reduce overall energy consumption compared to the savings from walkable urbanism.
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
The "Inconvenient Truth" About Electric Cars
Many people view electric vehicles (EVs) as the answer to reducing transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. However, EVs have significant limitations and unintended consequences:
- In most states, the majority of electricity is still generated from coal-fired power plants. In some cases, coal is nearly twice as carbon-intensive as gasoline per unit of energy.
- The reduced cost-per-mile of electricity vs. gasoline creates a powerful incentive to drive more. This "rebound effect" negates efficiency gains.
- Emissions from producing and maintaining roads, vehicles and other infrastructure add another 50% on top of tailpipe emissions.
- Even with better fuel efficiency, transportation will remain the largest and fastest-growing energy sector.
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
2. The 10 Steps
Walkability Depends On Getting Cars Under Control in Cities
For most of human history, cities were built around people. But for the past century, most American cities have been redesigned around the needs of the automobile, with disastrous results for walkability. Pedestrians cannot thrive in cities where cars are given priority in the allocation of space, speed, and subsidies.
While cars are useful and necessary in cities, they must be tamed and controlled, not given free reign, if walkers are to flourish. This isn't about being "anti-car", but about balance. Great walking cities like New York, London and Paris have plenty of cars, but have established rules that keep them from dominating the environment and harming pedestrians.
Section: 2, Chapter: 1