Considering how many people are walking around Toronto at any given time, it comes as no surprise that our fine grid was ranked one of the most walkable cities in the country, according to a new ranking from US-based real estate brokerage Redfin.
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The ranking, which was based on data from Walk Score, a company that rates the walkability of cities, neighbourhoods, and addresses, looked at five Canadian cities with populations of more than 200,000 and scored them based on their walkability.
Cities where daily errands do not require a car score 90 points and above, a score of 70 to 89 points means most errands can be accomplished on foot, and a score of 50 to 69 indicates that some errands can be completed on foot.
Vancouver claimed the first spot with a score of 79.8, Montreal followed in second with a score of 65.4, while Toronto rounded out the top three with a score of 61. Also on the list are Burnaby, with 60.1, and Longueuil, with 54.4.
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And while Toronto did make it into the top three, that doesn't mean it's easy to navigate by foot, which might be why so many people opt to take the streetcar or subway to get around. Not to mention with its score, Toronto wouldn't even be able to make it into the top ten rankings in the US, where New York's walkable score of 88 keeps it in the number one spot.
But Redfin did give Toronto some credit and praised the underground PATH, the boardwalk along the water, and the various nature walks and trails peppered throughout the city, which make the city a little nicer to navigate by foot.
“A lot of Toronto is connected underground, so when it gets cold in the winter, there are still ways to get around. Then there’s the boardwalk, which allows people to walk across much of the city right on the waterfront,” said Redfin Toronto market manager, Blair Anderson.
“One thing people don’t always realize about Toronto is that there are lots of nature walks and trails right in the city. If it was just a concrete jungle, people wouldn’t be so inclined to walk places, but since it’s so beautiful, walking is appealing. Plus, city traffic is less than desirable these days, so being able to get around on foot is very advantageous.”
Redfin Most Walkable Canadian Cities 2020
