The best places to walk

The economy is tanking, people are losing their homes, and it takes a small inheritance to fill up the family cruiser. Times are tough in Minnesota but the unkindest cut of all may be delivered by Prevention Magazine which dares to say when it comes to places to go for a walk, Minneapolis doesn’t cut it. Minneapolis is #71. At the same time, however, St. Paul is #13.

Granted this is another candidate in the “crackpot surveys” category, but assuming it has a shred of believability, how does Minneapolis lose out to, say, Anchorage (#8)? Tons of bikepaths and jogging paths, a long riverwalk, even the highest per-capita number of golfers in America suggests a higher ranking. Plus we have those moving walkways at the airport. We even have blogs dedicated to life with the view from the sidewalks.

So what is the criteria? APMA President Dr. Harold Glickman says, “The Best Walking Cities competition recognizes those cities that don’t just ‘talk the talk’ but literally ‘walk the walk.'”

Whatever that means.

“Other criteria included various walking-friendly attributes such as low crime rates, mild year-round temperatures, the number of cultural attractions, participation in recreational sports, and pet ownership.”

We can’t compete with the mild year-round temperatures, but we do have these skyway things. And we have more cultural attractions than Anchorage.

The survey collides with one issued a few months ago, which found Minneapolis #17 among “metro areas” in walkability. It was hard to argue with some of the cities ahead of us — Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Miam. (See pdf )

(h/t: Nikki Tundel)