How safe, convenient and enjoyable is it to walk?

Walkability is a combination of density, mix and access:

While the synergies of density, mix and access are also deeply complex, they are at the heart of what makes great cities tick.

Dovey and Pafka 2019
Image credit: Dovey and Pafka 2019

The right to walk

People deserve the freedom to walk, and cities should invest in infrastructure for walking:

Walk Score

Walk Score offers one measure of walkability, mainly focussed on the distance to various destinations

Image credit: Walk Score

Based on Walk Score, the City of Yarra already includes many of the most highly ranked suburbs in Melbourne, including:

  • Fitzroy (2nd most walkable suburb in Melbourne, with a score of 96);
  • Fitzroy North (3rd most walkable, score of 93);
  • Collingwood (9th most walkable, score of 92);
  • Richmond (12th most walkable, score of 90);
  • Cremorne (13th most walkable, score of 89); and
  • Carlton North (16th most walkable, score of 88).

Greater Melbourne gets an overall average score of only 57 (somewhat walkable). We can improve Yarra’s natural advantages in walkability (relative high density and mixed commercial/residential areas) by improving the design of our streets – by bringing them alive with wider footpaths and with protected bicycle lanes acting as a barrier to moving traffic.

Supporters

Supporters for walkability in Yarra include Victoria Walks. They recommend this video on how to assess the walkability of your local streets:

Other information on footpaths

Learn more from our collection of pages on footpaths:

How you can help

You can help by appearing on the Streets Alive Yarra website as a champion for your local street, neighbourhood, or school.

Let’s build a beautiful, liveable and accessible city