Surprised to not see
this map included in this thread. Walkscore uses this methodology:
Walk Score measures the walkability of any address using a patented system. For each address, Walk Score analyzes hundreds of walking routes to nearby amenities. Points are awarded based on the distance to amenities in each category. Amenities within a 5 minute walk (.25 miles) are given maximum points. A decay function is used to give points to more distant amenities, with no points given after a 30 minute walk.
Walk Score also measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing population density and road metrics such as block length and intersection density. Data sources include Google, Factual, Great Schools, Open Street Map, the U.S. Census, Localeze, and places added by the Walk Score user community.
They give raw number scores and color coded maps. Overall Boston has a score of 82 (third in the country behind NYC and San Fran) and is generally very walkable. There are exceptions though: the clearest being large parts of Mattapan (a few blocks east and west of Blue Hill ave), Readville, Hype Park (across the Neponset and near the dedham line) Roslindale (near poplar st), the Woodbine part of Forest Hills, Moss Hill in JP, South Dorchester, Colombia Point, Widett Circle, the eastern part of the Seaport, Orient Heights, the Harvard owned areas in Alston, the Parts of Brighton near newton.
Interestingly this map seems to show a few different things (and some that fit in multiple of these categories) namely the parts of the city that are more suburban in density and transit options (the parts of West Roxbury, Roslindale, JP, Brighton and dorchester, that aren't walkable along with Readville and Orient heights), industrial areas (Widett Circle/south bay, eastern seaport, Readville, Charlestown by the water and around Sullivan square, and along the Chelsea creek in East Boston), and some food deserts/deprived communities (Mattapan, the BHA in Orient Heights which is the worst in the area, Colombia Point, Roslindale near Forest Hills, the scattered areas of poor walkability in Roxbury, and parts of Hyde Park/Readville)
Some targeted improvements in infrastructure could go a long way in a few of these such as pedestrian connections/staircases/ramps between Woodruff way and River street near the Gallivan Community Center, up the hill at back of the hill, through/around Oak Lawn Cemetery, a track crossing or two between Ukraine Way and Blakemore St, and through Harvard and BC campuses. Some of these areas need expanded access to grocery stores and other services throughout the neighborhood, which cant really be solved with simple infrastructure shifts but does need creative solutions.
There are also transit and bike scores.
