Access Across America: Walking 2014

August 12, 2015


Access Across America: Walking 2014
is a study published by the University of Minnesota Center of Transportation Studies that estimates the accessibility of walking to jobs in the 50 most populous metropolitan areas in the U.S. The purpose of this study is to look at how much economic opportunity exists within a reasonable walking distance in metropolitan areas.

Transportation and land-use patterns, such as proximity, density, and safety of both origins and destinations, are essential to improving accessibility. For example, higher density and mixed-used development generally create more pedestrian-friendly environments.

The study concludes that employment density is an important factor in whether an area is economically walkable or not, and employment densities are generally higher in places with rail systems that lead to a central location. Using "detailed pedestrian networks," the researchers measured the number of jobs reachable in a 10-minute walkfor the typical worker in each metro. Then they measured how many jobs were reachable within 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 minutes. The top 5 cities: New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C. This document contains detailed maps and data for agencies looking to improve pedestrian accessibility in other cities.