what does "walkability" mean to you? (in NOVA-DC region) (Arlington: countertops, condos)

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

But why do you continue to bring up your community as the defense against labeling some places in NOVA as scoring low on walkability? It's as if you're taking this whole discussion as a slight against your particular community. NOVA by and large scores low on walkability, using what you consider the improper definition of the term but what many people are using to factor into making major decisions. .

actually many areas of NoVa score low on measures of walkability that EXCLUDE the aesthetic criteria that seem to offend some.

Walkscore does NOT assign any weight for aesthetics, or for critical mass. Its all about distances to destinations. Ashburn (I just typed in the area, not any particular address) gets a 43. Lake Anne Village in Reston, OTOH, gets a 66.

[cdmurphy]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

actually many areas of NoVa score low on measures of walkability that EXCLUDE the aesthetic criteria that seem to offend some.

Walkscore does NOT assign any weight for aesthetics, or for critical mass. Its all about distances to destinations. Ashburn (I just typed in the area, not any particular address) gets a 43. Lake Anne Village in Reston, OTOH, gets a 66.

I need to read more about Walkscore's methodology. I think it's really interesting. (My home is a 58, but Brambleton in general gets a 49. In contrast, my old home in Falls Church 22043 is a whopping 23.)

[JD984]

Am I the only one for whom this discussion now reminds them of the "Your Number" ING commercial, where people walk around carrying a giant orange number that reflects how much they hoped to have saved by retirement?

As a definitional matter, I do not think that the term "walkability," as understood by people in this area, totally aligns with the concept that some of you are espousing, which to me sounds more like "urbanity" than "walkability." For the most part, I'd think a WalkScore-like approach that could be adjusted downward for situations where it's physically dangerous to get from Point A to Point B would best reflect local sensibilities.

[hubey21]

Unless it's Herndon, Vienna, or Alexandria (and even those are a stretch) Northern Virginia /= walkable. When I think of walkable, I should walk no more than 5 minutes to everything (grocery store, redbox, gamestop, hardware, gas station etc.)

[hubey21]

Originally Posted by cdmurphy

I need to read more about Walkscore's methodology. I think it's really interesting. (My home is a 58, but Brambleton in general gets a 49. In contrast, my old home in Falls Church 22043 is a whopping 23.)

I work in Falls Church and agree with you. It's not walkable otherwise I'd be walking to and from lunch every day except the nearest place I even WANT to eat is a mile away from where I work and the lights take 3-5 minutes to change.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by JEB77

As a definitional matter, I do not think that the term "walkability," as understood by people in this area, totally aligns with the concept that some of you are espousing, which to me sounds more like "urbanity" than "walkability.".

except of course that some of the places that are most "urbane" are in fact small towns, former small towns swallowed up by suburban expansion, or suburbs designed to resemble small towns. So urbanity as as substitute, requires qualification, especially in NoVa where the former small towns are more common than anything that most folks would call "urban". Plus on the other side, we would be left explaining why dense tower in the park stuff thats challenging to walkers (sometimes practically, as well as aesthetically) isn't particularly "urban". How do we explain that Crystal City is less urban than Old Town Alexandria, or that four mile run drive in Arlington is less "urban" than Del Ray?

As for the usage, its pretty mixed. First I would say that even the folks who actively dislike walking past frozen yogurt shops and street defining hirises, would accept that there are things about a sidewalk that can be an issue aside from safety. Anyone who disagree should walk down Little River Turnpike in Annandale - yes, theres lots of shops nearby, and yes theres a sidewalk (well mostly) but I think the issues with broken sidewalks, active driveways, poor sidewalk amenities, etc would be an issue to lots of folks who would be happy walking past shopping centers otherwise.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by hubey21

gas station

Im guessing thats sarcasm, but as someone who walked a bike to a gas station in search of an air pump the other day, well ......

[robbobobbo]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

Im guessing thats sarcasm, but as someone who walked a bike to a gas station in search of an air pump the other day, well ......

I don't drive when I fill my gas can for the lawn mower.

[Caladium]

Originally Posted by robbobobbo

But why do you continue to bring up your community as the defense against labeling some places in NOVA as scoring low on walkability?

Why did I do this? Because the OP asked "what does the word walkability mean to you?" I answered his question.

Why do I continue to bring up my community? Because I know it better than other areas in northern VA. I really can't talk about what it's like to walk to work in Falls Church, for example, since I've never done it. I can talk about walking to work and to stores in my community, since I do walk here every day. I think most people answer questions like this by talking about their own communities. After all, that's what they know best.

Which leads to a side thought: I get annoyed on this forum when people make assumptions about what it's like to live in another community. You just end up sounding foolish when you do that. For example too many people make assumptions about what they think it must be like to live in Loudoun, and it's just so obvious to those of us who do live here that they don't really know what they're talking about. The same would happen if I tried to talk about communities I don't live in, which is why I talk about the one I do live in or the nearby ones that I know quite well. I'm sorry if that means I mostly talk about the same communities, but that's the way it goes.

Why would I bring up the fact that I find it odd that communities like mine are sometimes labelled unwalkable (or, "not very walkable" if you prefer)? Because I find it odd. The OP asked how I define a word, and part of answering that is noting whether or not I agree with other definitions as applied to a community I know well. And it is odd, when I think about it.... I deliberately chose to move here so that I could walk to my job and I do exactly that every day. I walk to work, I walk to stores, I probably do more walking than most people on this forum. Yet, here I live, in the heart of the "not very walkable" zone. Odd. Noting odd discrepancies is also part of answering a question.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by Caladium

:Why would I bring up the fact that I find it odd that communities like mine are sometimes labelled unwalkable (or, "not very walkable" if you prefer)? Because I find it odd.

Fair enough, which is why I generally avoid refererring to the walkable or aesthetic qualities of communities I do not know well. By the same token, I find it odd that some communities are referred to as "trendy" or "hipster" by people who do not know them intimately. Even more that people refer to PEOPLE they do not know as "hipsters".