Sidewalk Showdown: Walkspan vs. Walk Score - What is the difference?
The landscape of homeownership in the United States is likely to change significantly in the next few years. Baby boomers and millennials are two significant demographic trends that are expected to combine to account for 150 million of the world's homeowners by 2030. Despite having different life phases and experiences, these generations are united by a need for one key feature of their living environment: walkability. Baby boomers and millennials alike like living in areas with tree-lined sidewalks, lively dining scenes, a variety of shopping alternatives, roomy parks, and warm neighborhood gathering places. There is no denying the appeal of a walkable neighborhood where people may experience a neighborhood's unique character. However, figuring out whether an area actually satisfies the requirements for being "walkable" can be challenging. This is where walkability assessment and comparison tools like Walkspan and Walk Score come into play, offering useful measures. In this article, we'll go into the area of walkability assessment and examine how Walkspan and Walk Score, two metrics, can shed light on what makes a location genuinely walkable.
In comparison to the traditional Walk Score, the scoring system you've defined as "Walkspan" looks to be a more in-depth and sophisticated method of measuring the walkability and overall experience of a sidewalk or corridor. Both systems strive to evaluate a location's facilities and friendliness to pedestrians, but Walkspan break everything down into more specific criteria.
Walkspan and Walk Score are compared here:
Walkspan:
Gives different ratings for several aspects of the sidewalk or corridor experience, such as noise levels, accessibility to public transportation, architectural features, comfort, and nearby activities
Evaluates the availability of lifestyle essentials such as entertainment options, food, services, and shops
Provides a thorough evaluation of each element, enabling a more in-depth comprehension
Walk Score:
Provides a single numerical value (0 to 100) indicating a location's general walkability.
Focuses on the density of streets and intersections, as well as the closeness of facilities including restaurants, grocery stores, parks, and public transportation
Gives an overall impression of walkability but does not go into as much depth as Walkspan Scores about specific components of the sidewalk or corridor experience
In conclusion, Walkspan offer a more thorough and in-depth evaluation of the characteristics and places of a sidewalk or corridor, making it a possibly more educational tool for people who desire a complete understanding of the pedestrian experience in a particular area. In comparison to the normal Walk Score, which provides a simpler, single-number assessment, it could also be trickier to compute and explain. The decision between the two would be based on the level of specificity and information required for your evaluation.