Berkeley placed fifth in a Best Walking Cities ranking compiled by Walk Score and published on Prevention.com.
Scoring an impressive 81.6 points, Berkeley is reportedly a city where nearly 15% of its commuters walk to and from their jobs.
The article also cited the “Everyone Walks in Berkeley” city program which encourages residents to walk—whether to school, work, or simply to take the dog out for a stroll — on the first Wednesday of every month.
Berkeley was beaten to the top by Cambridge, MA, at number one, New York, NY, Jersey City, NJ, and San Francisco.
Walk Score is an online tool that helps people evaluate walkability and transportation when choosing where to live. Its stated mission is to promote walkable neighborhoods. Low scores in the 40s and 50s translate as “car dependent” neighborhoods, while high ones, in the 80s and 90s, demonstrate “walkable” or “very walkable” areas.
As us residents already know, Berkeley’s mayor, Tom Bates, sets a good example as he is known to eschew the automobile and walk everywhere, and the city’s readily accessible hiking trails, as well as organizations such as Berkeley Path Wanderers Association make exploring the city by foot all the more appealing.
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