1. good walking is good
business (biking too!)
making massachusetts more walkable

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

3. Four broad areas of benefit
• economy
• business
• health
• real estate

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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
”

7. 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 ”

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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 ”

11. “ 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
”

12. 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

13. 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

14. A 10-point
increase in Walk
Score increases
commercial 5
0
property values H
by 5% – 8%. y
[University of Arizona & P
Indiana University, 2010] D
W
P
[
“
Homebuyers will pay a $20,000 to $34,000 premium for homes in
”
pedestrian-friendly communities.
— CEOs for Cities, 2009
1
U
U
L
P

15. 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

16. 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