The Top 30 ‘Walkable Urban Areas’ in the U.S.
Real estate developers wanting to keep up with the next big trend must focus on ‘walkable urban places,’ or “WalkUPS.” That’s according to a new report from LOTUS, a coalition of real estate investors within the nonprofit, Smart Growth America. The report, Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros, compared rents for commercial spaces in walkable districts with those in suburban areas that are more dependent on cars. The result: Walkable commercial spaces command a 74 percent premium over non-walkable areas. “Cities that want to thrive in our new economic and demographic realities will need to find ways to create and support more of these dynamic, productive walkable districts that are in high demand,” says Geoff Anderson, CEO of SGA. Among the top current cities for walkable urbanism are Boston, Washington, DC, and Chicago. Dallas, Tampa, and Las Vegas are on the bottom of the list.
