Let’s Go KC

Walk Score is a great web site that lets you calculate just how walkable your address is.  That is, how many services like groceries and barbers are within walking distance. Now they have calculated city-wide ratings for the top 40 US cities.  It’s no surprise that car-dependent Kansas City ranks a lowly number 34 with a walk score is only 44 out of 100.

However, there are several individual neighborhoods with really high walk scores.  They are mostly concentrated in the central corridor between Downtown and Brush Creek. Westport and the Plaza rank at the very top, with scores similar to Lincoln Park in Chicago or Manhattan in New York City. They key is that the Plaza/Westport area is the only place wtih high concentrations jobs, residences, and retail in close proximity. A few more neighborhoods in Brookside, Waldo, parts of the Northland also rank fairly high.

Over all, 38% of Kansas Citians live in neighborhoods considered “somewhat walkable” and just 14% live in “very walkable” locations.  Conversely, that means 62% of us are almost completely car dependent.

• National Rankings
• Kansas City neighborhood rankings
• City-wide map