Walkscore data suggests San Antonio is the least walkable large city in the U.S.
Image: Matthew Busch | The San Antonio Express-News
A recent Walk Score survey named San Antonio as the least pedestrian-friendly large city in the U.S. Ian Caine reflected on this troubling outcome with reporter Shepard Price from the San Antonio Express-News:
San Antonio's low overall score is of no surprise to Ian Caine, an associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio and director of the school's Center for Urban and Regional Planning Research. Caine said "2,000 miles of sidewalks are either missing or broken" in the city.
“San Antonio residents know from experience that large portions of their city are not very walkable, especially outside of the historic core," Caine said in an email to the Express-News.
Caine also noted that the low walkability of San Antonio is reinforced by data and is in part due to the city's growth timeline, which "accelerated dramatically" after World War II, during the period of urban sprawl. Many characteristics associated with sprawl, like scattered development patterns, widespread single-use zoning and low-density neighborhoods can make cities less walkable, Caine said.
To improve its Walk Score, Caine said the city needs to invest in an integrated system of streets with shaded sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly intersections, safe bike lanes and increased transit options.
“(San Antonio) will have to build more medium-density, mixed-use and compact urban neighborhoods like the ones it developed during the first half of the twentieth century," Caine wrote.