Walkability

The most important feature of any neighborhood is walkability

Walking - we all do it. From age 1 to 100, walking is our primary way of moving through the world. But for over sixty years, our cities have developed in a way that prioritizes driving over all else, with pedestrians subject to uncomfortable and often dangerous conditions.

In his influential book Walkable City, Jeff Speck outlines the conditions required to make a journey walkable. It must be:

• safe
• comfortable
• useful
• interesting

Our best walkable neighborhoods score 4 out of 4 - shady sidewalks, protected from cars, connecting homes and businesses with lots to see along the way. It's almost impossible to overstate the benefits of walkability - it removes barriers to job access, improves public health, improves air quality, costs less, and is just more pleasant overall.

In 2025, Speck's consulting firm Speck Dempsey completed a walkability study of downtown Louisville and made numerous recommendations about how to make downtown more welcoming to pedestrians. Find out more here.