| We can't get away from the fact that high oil prices | | | | they can no longer sustain the suburban lifestyle. |
| are going to seriously impact our ability to use cars for | | | | A "walkable" or "bike able" |
| transportation. Buying a house in a walkable | | | | neighborhood is not one-size-fits-all. It boils down to |
| neighborhood will help you cut down on gas, improve | | | | what you, personally, consider "walkable" or |
| your health and help your environment. If you're a | | | | "bike able". For some people, walking any |
| cyclist, you can still afford to live in suburbs close to | | | | distance over a half-mile is too far. For others, cycling |
| your place of work and necessary amenities. The | | | | 20 miles is all in a day's work. It depends on your |
| bottom line is that the car as we know it is on its way | | | | personal fitness and the time you want to spend in |
| out. Start thinking human-powered transportation. | | | | transit. There is also the issue of access to |
| What is a walkable neighborhood? Ideally, it's one | | | | community-wide transportation, like buses. |
| where you can access work, home and shopping | | | | There are also issues of crime rates and the |
| within a half-mile radius of your residence. When | | | | development of the neighborhood you are considering. |
| considering a home, consider whether you can get to | | | | A coffee shop may be only a half-mile away, but if |
| the important things - income, food, recreation, etc. | | | | that half-mile involves a swamp and a major freeway, |
| without the benefit of an internal combustion engine. | | | | it might not be as walkable as Google or Walkscore |
| The less you use your car, the less money you will | | | | might indicate. The presence and repair of |
| spend on gas... pretty simple. | | | | walk-friendly structures, like sidewalks, crosswalks, |
| There are other reasons besides the high cost of gas. | | | | bicycle/walking paths and pedestrian bridges are also |
| America has an epidemic of obesity and health | | | | things that indicate whether you will be comfortable |
| problems caused by poor eating and lack of exercise. | | | | walking or biking in an area. |
| A walkable neighborhood encourages you to get out | | | | Don't put your faith too much in Google or as of yet. |
| and walk to work, to shopping and to the local coffee | | | | While these are useful tools to get an idea about the |
| shop for get-togethers with friends. It's easier to walk | | | | walk ability of a neighborhood, they are still very much |
| when the store is only a couple of blocks away - and | | | | in their infancy. Neither are necessarily up-to-date on |
| carrying groceries home is great exercise. | | | | businesses and often ignore the presence of |
| The environment is being changed by fossil fuels. | | | | businesses unrepresented on the Internet. Keep your |
| People are slowly coming to the realization that we | | | | eyes on them, though, since the increased interest in |
| are not just seeing something confined to big cities, but | | | | walkable neighborhoods likely means that they are |
| something that is affecting the entire planet. Choosing | | | | going to improve. |
| to use the car less and only for necessary trips is one | | | | A neighborhood where you can walk or cycle or use |
| method of combatting this artificial climate change. | | | | some other kind of human-powered transportation is |
| Homes in walkable neighborhoods are starting to see | | | | something worth finding. Do a little extra research |
| increases in value. Every mile closer to resources | | | | around your prospective home to determine whether it |
| means that a house will go higher on the value scale. | | | | is going to fit your needs in the future, as |
| Buying property in a walkable neighborhood will mean | | | | energy-consciousness comes to the fore. |
| that you see an increase when people realize that | | | | |