Survey: Most Americans Want a Walkable Neighborhood, Not a Big House

[geardaddy]

http://www.good.is/post/most-americans-want-a-walkable-neighborhood-not-a-big-house?utm_campaign=daily_good2&utm_medium=email_daily_good2&utm_source=headline_link&utm_content=Most%20Americans%20Want%20a%20Walkable%20Neighborhood%2C%20Not%20a%20Big%20House

Nona Willis Aronowitz
Associate Editor
See Gallery February 7, 2012 • 5:30 am PST+ responses
The symbol of American success often involves having the biggest house possible, but our outsized fantasies seem to be shifting. According to a new survey, more than three quarters of us consider having sidewalks and places to take a walk one of our top priorities when deciding where to live. Six in 10 people also said they would sacrifice a bigger house to live in a neighborhood that featured a mix of houses, stores, and businesses within an easy walk.

For once, our preferences align with our impending reality; in the future, we may not have a choice whether or not to downsize our lifestyles. The housing bust exposed that the McMansion phenomenon is unsustainable, which has forced us to re-examine our priorities. In another study in 2010, the ideal number of square footage people desired for their houses dropped dramatically. It's becoming increasingly clear that the American dream of buying a big old house will need to be revised for the youngest generation.

[The Genealogist]

1. This observation makes me feel better

It seems, lately, that a lot of things I hold dear are going by the wayside, real books being one of them (*note: I buy used books, most of them decades old, when I buy books). It has been many years since I cared to have a big house, not that I will ever afford one; if I could I really don't want one. But "to live in a neighborhood that feature[s] a mix of houses, stores, and businesses within an easy walk" is a kind of ideal for me. I see sprawling, cramped, McMansion-ridden neighborhoods, and actually wince. When I pass what was once a grove, a pasture, a farm, my heart drops when I find it has been replaced by another soulless, heartless, cookie-cutter neighborhood. I like small markets, close-by enough to walk to. I like local businesses, not sprawling big-box stores.

Right now, I live in a fairly ideal neighborhood. Within a two miles of me (I consider two miles to be an easy walk, I know that is not true for everyone) there are several markets, a hardware store/lumberyard, eateries, variety stores, and many are locally owned. I love being able to take a two mile walk in this area, with older homes in a variety of styles that have well-established landscaping and lots of character. I would just never feel comfortable in a McMansion neighborhood where I have to drive several miles to get to the big box chain store or even farther to get to a job.

[geardaddy]

2. Yep, totally agree.

We live in a walkable neighborhood close to two supermarkets, theaters, restaurants/bars. I just wish there was more variety in the retail. Most seem to be high-end shop where I'll never buy any clothes.

[The Genealogist]

3. I'm lucky then I guess

There are some high-end stores near me; I live in a fairly down-market area that is within a largely middle-to-upper-middle class section of town. So, there are some pricy bistros nearby, a "nice" grocery store that is currently being upgraded to "fancy, and a couple of "yuppie" watering holes. But too, there are plenty of run-of-the-mill, basic retailers and eateries too.

[geardaddy]

4. Yeah, there's a good mix of eateries and bars here, but the clothing all seems to be boutique.

The supermarkets are good, too and there's a co-op within a two-mile walk.

We feel lucky to be in this area.

[surrealAmerican]

16. This is a very hopeful sign.

I hope that this preference persists long enough for more walkable communities to develop. It really is a better way to live.

[bluedigger]

5. Check your walk score.

I got a 91.

http://www.walkscore.com/

[Populist_Prole]

7. Very interesting. Very sobering

I got a 3.

[bluedigger]

11. Are you kidding?

I think Robinson Crusoe got a 5, and he had cannibals.

[amandabeech]

47. They missed a lot of the walkable shops and services in my neighborhood.

They miss amenities and don't put a relative value on what amenities they do list.

For example, they missed the inter-development jitney service to the DC Metro as well as many shops, and they don't value being able to walk or take a brief ride to the DC Metro as having more value than a convience store located not far away from a 24 hour full service grocery store with a pharmacy.

The score here was 60.

[bluedigger]

51. It's a map based application.

It is a google maps driven ap and can only account for the data it has. If one of the various categories it scores doesn't appear on google maps, it won't count it. Commercial businesses are particularly fluid. I view it as a relative guide to compare areas, not as a definitive number of any significance.

[RevStPatrick]

12. 98 out of a hundred!

I live in a "walker's paradise."

And it's true, I do!
I love my neighborhood.
So many nice little shops, great restaurants, the subway is just 3 blocks away.
Art, music, waterfront nearby.
And lots of nice people, of all types.
And my job is 3 blocks from home, while Sweetie has a 20 minute commute.

The price I pay is that there are always a lot of people around.
I prefer it that way, but I know people who would go crazy with the noise.
And like any fairly tight neighborhood, people know each others' business.
For good and bad.

It works for me, but as an example, I have a cousin who is an honest to goodness mountain man.
He would not enjoy this lifestyle...

[bluedigger]

13. That is as high as I've seen.

When I lived in the French Quarter in New Orleans I scored a 93.

Now I'm in a little town in the Four Corners, and I still got a good score.

The dog is happier, but the brass bands aren't much to write home about.

[Luminous Animal]

26. My neighborhood rates a 98 , too!

[REP]

14. My apartment: 86 My house: 18

My house (which is still having work done) is on a mountain; I was surprised it wasn't 0. There is a grocery store and a couple restaurants within the community that are pretty close to the house, though.

[Luciferous]

19. I got a 38. Most of the town's ameneties are .5-1 mile away from our house.

I would love to live in a neighborhood that had everything within walking distance.

[midnight armadillo]

22. 17 for me.

But with a bicycle everything becomes so much better. That walk site is a little overly walk oriented.

[eShirl]

32. IMO 1 mile or less is walking distance

[hobbit709]

30. It tells me mine is 57

It also says there are places within a quarter to a third of a mile from here. Maybe as the crow flies, but by street it's more like double that.
It also says my transportation index is 47 and those distances are wrong too. I know for a fact the distance to the nearest bus stop is over a half mile while it's trying to tell me it's 0.23 of a mile.

[eShirl]

31. 2 ?!! rofl- BS!

I'm not going to WALK 6 miles to a bookstore with the public library .5 miles away
woods in the backyard and public boat landing down the street, along with country store, post office, grange hall, weekly farmers market

*2* my ASS

[geardaddy]

34. My neighborhood is an 85

It says Minneapolis as a whole is the 9th most walkable city.

[bluedigger]

35. For what, two months of the year?

Obviously, they don't take climate into account.

[geardaddy]

36. We're a bit hardier here than you think.

People bike in subzero tempertures here. Not me, mind you.

[bluedigger]

38. Oh, I don't underestimate the hardy natives.

I grew up in Maine, myself.

But clearly all things are not equal.

For that matter, the only reason New Orleans is walkable in the summer is the proximity of the closely spaced air conditioned bars.

[geardaddy]

42. lol

No, you're right. People don't really want to walk in subzero temps. At least I don't. When I was younger it didn't bother me as much.

[Noodleboy13]

52. 91 here in the Wedge neighborhood

Gotta love me some Uptown. It's like living in the best small town in the world. Throw in the plowed bike trail system and it gets even better.

peace,
Noodleboy

[geardaddy]

53. Hiya neighbor.

Love The Wedge. We're considering moving to be closer to the bars.

[Noodleboy13]

55. I recommend the new Muddy Waters

They have a huge number of Surly taps, and I have been consistently impressed with the food. And if you like the heavily tattooed and pierced crowd, the scenery and servers are pretty great.


peace,
Noodleboy

[geardaddy]

57. Completely agree.

Have been there a couple of times and the food is good and LOVE the extensive tap list.

[pipi_k]

39. Well no big surprise....

I got a big fat zero.

[bluedigger]

43. Perfect score!

I have to go walk the dog. You need anything?

[riderinthestorm]

46. Zero for me too. You also must be rural... nt

[Morning Dew]

41. My neighborhood gets an 81

21st most walkable in Minneapolis.

[geardaddy]

54. Which neighborhood?

I'm in CARAG just south of Lake and a block east of Hennepin.

[Morning Dew]

56. North East - Sheridan neighborhood. Near Broadway and Washington Street NE.

You live too close to Famous Dave's and the Lagoon theater - I'd go broke there.

Hey! Didn't we talk about Walter's beer a while back?

[geardaddy]

58. Yeah, I think we did.

Interestingly enough I don't go to Famous Dave's that often. I do like to go on Sundays when Moses Oakland does the open mic show.

Love your Bluth Co. avatar.

[Populist_Prole]

6. I've been noticing a more sensible attitude amongst my peers in regards to homes

In our conversations there seems to be many more who just want to be able to pay their house off as soon as they can than there are the ones that want the maximum number of square footage. You notice more people preferring to move into older established neighborhoods "closer in" than new cookie-cutter subdivisions. Whether it is a question of whether urban sprawl has run its course or nostalgia for a neighborhood "like the one I grew up in" is the reason, I can't say. Anymore, the older areas closer in to downtown look greener and are ironically less congested than the newer areas with subdivisions, retail, and chain restaurants clustered near the interstate exits.

It sure did seem though the bigger is better attitude persisted a long time though. Around the time I was looking for my first ( and present ) house, I remember how many people categorically stated that you should buy the biggest possible house you could get a mortgage on. Being house-poor was all so normal to so many people, as if it were just yet another characteristic of modern life. Nowadays, people seem to be buying a place to live in: Not embark on a journey of being wealthy house-flipping nomads.

If the lame economy is to blame, then at least it had the effect of making people more sensible.

[provis99]

8. the McMansion is one of the most vile things American culture has created.

even worse than McDonalds itself.

[chrisa]

10. Definitely agree

[geardaddy]

33. +1000

[amandabeech]

48. I cannot stand the "a gazillion fake gable" architecture!

It looked ugly and dated when it first went up.

I'd hate McMansions less if they at least looked pleasing from the outside and weren't on postage stamp lots--townhouses almost always look better to me.

[TwilightGardener]

49. I think Americans believe that complexity of roofline = wealth and class.

[amandabeech]

50. I think that you're right.

Perhaps the owners also watch that TV show where people get knocked off what looks like giant Legos and fall into the water.

[Johnny Noshoes]

9. I have lived ....

I have lived in the same Queens neighborhood for most of my 58 years. It is a short walk to any one of three supermarkets, a variety of ethnic shops and restaurants, three pharmacies, and only a 45 minute subway ride to all that Manhattan has to offer. People wonder why I have never learned how to drive - its New York who needs a car. The neighborhood is a mix of all kinds of people and somehow we manage to get along just fine. Its a mix of four story apartment houses like mine, smaller two family homes, some larger apartment buildings and a condo complex or two. Many of the older buildings are this wonderful golden brick.

[NNN0LHI]

15. We have lived in the smallest house in this subdivision since 1989

1500 square feet on about a half an acre. We never wanted anything bigger than that. Couldn't afford to have a roof replaced on most the houses out here. Or try to keep the two air conditioners and two furnaces operating that most of them need.

Good place to walk. Walked my dog three times today about two miles each time. No sidewalks though. Guess sidewalks were considered "too pedestrian", when they platted this place out decades ago? I prefer having sidewalks.

Don

[Raine]

17. I would like a slightly larger house

an additional bathroom and another bedroom but that's not a McMansion. I would rather be close to things.

[Snake Alchemist]

18. I would walk more places if the chances of me being stabbed or shot dropped a bit. nt

[jwirr]

20. The idea of going local is growing and this is evidence toward that idea. Wonderful.

[Mister Ed]

21. Ten years ago, we built a not-so-big house in a neighborhood with sidewalks, parks, and stores.

Mrs. Ed and I wouldn't have raised our daughter in a McMansion even if we could've afforded to. I sometimes joke that our lots are so small I can hand my neighbor a beer through the window. But you know what? That means I see my neighbors. And I know my neighbors, and I like my neighbors - yes, even the hard-right Republican wingnuts.

When our daughter wants to play with other kids, she steps outside and plays with 'em. I don't have to phone other parents to arrange "play dates" for her, then stuff her in the car and drive for miles.

When it was time for her to start Kindergarten, she didn't have to get on a bus, or even cross the street. She just trotted off down the sidewalk and into the schoolyard.

When I need a quart of milk or a pound of bananas, I walk down to the store and get 'em.

The McMansion-plus-gasguzzler lifestyle is both unrewarding and unsustainable. I remember once talking with a city planner who told me, "Look at the cities of Europe. They've stood for a thousand years. They work, by and large. And they weren't built on the idea that every inhabitant should live in a house too big to use, on a lot too big to maintain."

[high density]

23. This is very important to me

I don't really care what is within walking distance. It can be all other houses for all I care, but I want to be able to explore most of a 2 mile radius or so of my neighborhood on foot, with sidewalks if needed. I could not live in a house that is on an unwalkable road.

[Pisces]

24. I wand a house in a subdivision that has a community garden, chicken coop, and green house. A

subdivision that comes with solar panels water filtration system for the entire house. Stores within walking distance are great, but I want to grow my own food with a coop of neighbors that would volunteer. I would gladly pay association dues that contributed to this kind of neighborhood.

[Greybnk48]

25. Over the past 30 years our town has lost all but one

of it's little corner stores that had meat, produce, dairy, etc.. We have Express and Kwik Trip, but they're not the same. I would love it if our town reverted back to a walker friendly set up. We have to drive everywhere or go to a convenience store for junk food.

[Art_from_Ark]

27. My neighborhood used to be like that

It was only a three-minute walk to the elementary school, a 5-minute bicycle ride to the junior high, and a 5-minute walk to the high school. Downtown, which was a 15-minute walk (or 4-minute bicycle ride) away, was a vibrant shopping area in those days that was home to 4 supermarkets, 2 five-and-dime stores, 2 hardware stores, 2 banks, 1 office supply store, one men's clothing store, one women's clothing store, one general clothing store, 2 shoe stores, 3 drug stores (2 with soda fountains), one office supply store, 3 auto parts stores, the library, post office, two bookstores, one pool hall, the newspaper office, police station, one record store, the Boys' Club, a couple of appliance stores, two home-and-garden stores, a coin shop, a bakery, a couple of gas stations, a paint store, 2 or 3 jewelry stores, a dry cleaners, a hotel, an art supply store, a couple of restaurants, a music/record store, and a few other stores I can't remember. Now, the elementary school has been razed, the junior high has been relocated farther away, but the high school is still there. And all but 3 or 4 of the downtown establishments from that era are GONE, and nothing similar has taken their place. It really sucks.

[Muskypundit]

28. I dont believe this. We Americans are as base and shallow as we always have been

I can imagine most of the people lying when they answered the survey, so they could sound better. I really don't think we are different people today than we were an hour ago with the destructive mcmansion craze.

I mean shit. Gas is near four dollars a gallon and American consumers still shit on economical and modest cars, and prefer giant ass Mchumvees so we can rule the road.

I call this two faced; if those banks give out predatory loans like they used to (they will) just as many people will pile into gigantic environmental disasters of homes. There has been no overwhelming paradigm sift in our sentiments.

[WCGreen]

29. Cleveland is going through a pretty good change in the city.

There are two interring suburbs that have always kept the walk to the store for what you need part of the Urban Mix.

But now, othere cities, even out here in the exburbs where I live, you can drive to these town centers and walk around and shop, grab a bite or see a movie. There are all sorts of clustered homes and apartments around these new commecial centers so there is a lot of walkng around involved.

I think it is really a good touch to have some place where people can gather.

Of course we have park and recreation set-ups across the area, but you drive there and goof off or play some sport or just lounge about. Then you get in your car and off you go.

I grew up in a small city just passed Cleveland. We could walk to the movies, to the dime store, church, school, parks, swimming. and if we wanted adventure, we hopped on the rapid transit (light rail) and head downtown or go out to the Airport and watch the planes take off...

[pipi_k]

37. I found this out

when we tried selling our home back in 2010.

It's not a large home, but it is really cool. Well, I think so, anyway. On 8.25 acres of wooded land, no close neighbors (nearest one is more than 1000 feet away). Blueberry bushes. Apple trees. Wildlife. Serenity.

The only problem? Off the beaten track. Way off the beaten track. On a dirt road.

It takes a special sort of person to want to live out here, and people want to be close to stores and restaurants and "civilization".

And back in 2010 when it was a buyer's market, we didn't get a lot of attention, so...

[TwilightGardener]

40. I want neither a big house nor a walkable neighborhood.

I want land and an awesome view.

[Tsiyu]

44. Interesting research

Maybe people are finally coming back down to earth and assessing the quality of life/square footage ratio. Not that you can't be happy in a big house, only that you need a lot of money to heat one, and funds to drive everywhere if it's in a typical subdivision.

If I lived closer to people, I would definitely want to be where I could walk to most everything. But right now outside at my place there is complete silence, except for some birds chirping and the wind in the hickory branches. At night, you sleep like a baby once you get used to the peace of it. There is a neighbor who occasionally makes a little noise with vehicles or chainsaws or both, even at 2 in the morning, but then we've been known to hold heavy metal band practice over here across the road on occasion so it all works out.

I think that this neighbor and family have been sucked into the silence and calm. They get it now, and aren't nearly as manic and loud as when they first arrived here from "the city." And we all help each other in our neighborhood, and truly care about each other, even though we can't really see one another's homes in the woods. We're all hermits but we pull together when someone needs help.

One thing I noticed when I moved to this area on the Cumberland Plateau is that there are dozens of little stores, barely advertised, selling milk and bread and beer and cigarettes. Some have fresh produce, feed, plumbing supplies, whatever. No matter how bad the weather, you can usually walk a mile and find a little store. 4-wheelers are also a popular mode of transportation and there is a network of backroad trails and utility cuts to get you way out there and back.

Almost all of my neighbors take walks down our country lane. Some people drive too fast through most of the development, because people seem to think neighborhoods are racetracks these days anywhere you go, but our dead-end road is relatively safe.

Most neighbors are vegetarians or raise their own meat, nearly all have gardens, many have chickens, we tend to like to stay home and putter rather than hang out at the mall, so we probably as a neighborhood drive less often than suburbanites.

The city is great when you want companionship and bright lights and a certain connection. I prefer to visit the city but live in the sticks.

Tsiyu from the Commune of One



Thanks for the thread geardaddy. Interesting subject...

[geardaddy]

45. Thanks Tsiyu.

I think the greatest divide is actually between city and suburb, not city and country. Both cities and country seem to have more self-reliance.

[tallahasseedem]

59. My husband and I made this decision...

when we moved to NJ. Best thing we ever did for us and our children!

[hedgehog]

60. Years ago, my parents were forced to buy out in a new suburban

subdivision because they couldn't get a mortgage on any of the houses they looked at in the city of Buffalo.

I doubt that today, any developer could get the money to put together a walkable sub-division; or even one with an assortment of sizes for people starting out, people moving up and people cutting down!

[Renew Deal]

61. I would rather have a nice house in a nice neighborhood than a huge house in the middle of nowhere