good walking is good business (biking too!)

making massachusetts more walkable

Retailer, homeowner, city official, or CEO — walkability helps your entire community grow and prosper

Four broad areas of benefit

• economy

• business

• health

• real estate

Broad based economic strength

... many states with higher VMT (vehicle miles

traveled) per capita actually performed worse

economically than those with lower rates of

driving.

— Kooshian & Winkelman, Center for Clean Air Policy, 2011

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Disposable income

• Transportation is the second largest household

expense in the U.S. Driving a newer sedan in 2011

cost an average annual amount of $8,946. —AAA

• Each additional car in a household budget

reduces that household’s mortgage capacity by

about $150,000. —Robert Freedman, Realtor Magazine

Job impacts of infrastructure investment

... Bicycling and walking projects create 11-14 jobs

per $1 million spent, compared to just 7 jobs

created per $1 million spent on highway projects.

—Alliance for Biking & Walking, 2012 Benchmarking Report ”

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Local businesses

... thrive in densely-built, walkable communities, and are more likely to stock local products, supporting other local businesses.

— American Independent Business Alliance, 2003 ”“

Local business

... retail sales are up along city streets that have

bike paths, pedestrian plazas, slow zones or

select bus service…

— NYC DOT, 2012

Shoppers who arrive in urban neighborhoods….

on foot or by bicycling spent more month to

month.

— NYC, Portland OR

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Attracting & retaining employees

Younger workers want to be in walking distance of work, restau-

rants, and shopping; they’re looking for more social interaction.

— CNN/Fortune, 2011 ”“

Health

Active transportation yields: lower BMI (body

mass index), lower waist circumference, lower

odds of high blood pressure and diabetes…

— American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2012

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Employees can save $16 for every $1 they spend on health and wellness, and workplace fitness programs have been shown to reduce employer health care costs by 20% — 50%. — American Heart Association, 2011 ”

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Public health costs

If one in ten Massachusetts adults started a

regular walking program, the state would save

$121 million in heart disease expenditure

annually.

— MA Department of Public Health, 2008

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Real Estate

Nearly half of the U.S. population – 150 million

baby boomers and their children – may be in the

market for walkable, transit-oriented neighbor-

hoods with smaller homes.

— Brookings Institution, 2011

Among people younger than 19:

• 1998 – 64.4% had a driver’s license

• 2008 – 46.3% had a driver’s license

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Homebuyers will pay a $20,000 to $34,000 premium for homes in

pedestrian-friendly communities.

— CEOs for Cities, 2009

135 Commonwealth Ave, Unit #2&2A, Concord Unit size: 2246 sq ft Lot Size: 27,878 sq ft Parking spots: 5 Walk Score: 78

5A Chestnut St. Andover 0 Beds, 0 baths Home size: 500 sq ft year built :1900 Parking spots: 1 Days on market: 13 WalkScore: 83 Price/sq ft: $3.60

[73 =$2.60]

A 10-point increase in Walk Score increases commercial property values by 5% – 8%. [University of Arizona & Indiana University, 2010]

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Real estate

Real estate values over the next 25 years will rise

fastest in communities with a compact mix of

residential and commercial districts in a pedestrian-

friendly configuration.

— Real Estate Research Corp, 2002 ”

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The community support that will get us there

Small-scale pedestrian improvements along streets

result in higher physical activity levels and have high

levels of public support.

— Centers for Disease Control, 2011 ”

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