Seattle Places 8th Amongst Most Walkable Cities in the US

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Redfin Inc., a real estate company with a focus on news and analysis, recently conducted a study to determine the walkability of different cities within the United States with populations of over 300,000 people. Seattle took eighth place in the ranking.

How ‘Walkability’ Was Determined

In determining the walkability of different places in America, Redfin used a complex algorithm. The algorithm considered the following factors listed below.

  • Pedestrian friendliness
  • Nearby amenities
  • Data from Walk Score users (an online service that scores homes based on their proximate walk distance to amenities)

 

New York scored number one on the list, followed by San Francisco and Boston. Number ten on the list was Baltimore.

Most Walkable Neighborhoods in Seattle

Not only did Redfin rank the most walkable cities in the country, but they also posted breakdowns for individual neighborhoods in Seattle. By order of most to least walkable the top five Seattle neighborhoods are as follows.

  • Downtown
  • Denny Triangle
  • Pioneer Square
  • First Hill
  • South Lake Union

Walkability and Pedestrian Safety

As mentioned above, one of the factors in determining the walkability of a city or neighborhood is its pedestrian friendliness, sometimes known as pedestrian zones.

Unfortunately, the number of pedestrian accidents in Seattle, King County (which houses Seattle), and the rest of Washington State is still far too high. In 2014, there were 18 fatal pedestrian crashes and 120 serious pedestrian injuries in King County alone. However, the SDOT (Seattle Department of Transportation) pedestrian program is working to eliminate the number of pedestrian accidents in the city.

The SDOT provides the following services.

  • Building and maintaining sidewalks
  • Creating crosswalks
  • Installing crossing islands
  • Raising awareness about pedestrian safety

 

​The Designing Safer Streets element of the SDOT has a goal to completely eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries (including those involving pedestrians) by the year 2030.

Walk Safely in Seattle

The fact that Seattle is one of the most pedestrian-friendly and walkable cities in the U.S. is notable. However, there’s still more work to do. Read the pedestrian accident blog of Max Meyers Law PLLC to learn more about Seattle adding a pedestrian zone, the problems of distracted walking, and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s challenge to city mayors nation-wide to improve pedestrian safety.

We hope that you and your loved ones are never involved in a pedestrian accident. In the event that you are injured by a motor vehicle though, we promise to provide you with the highest quality legal representation we can. Call our team at 425-399-7000 to speak with us about how we can serve you today. 

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Max is a Kirkland personal injury attorney handling cases in Seattle, King County & surrounding in WA State.