How to spot a walkable neighbourhood

Walking over to a bakery for breakfast, shopping for groceries down the street, or jogging to your favourite gym is a luxury only a walkable neighbourhood can offer. Who doesn’t want to live in a safe neighbourhood that allows you to walk to places as and when you prefer?

Are you looking to move to a new place but don’t know if the neighbourhood is right for you and your family? Here are a few essential things to look for when searching for a walkable neighbourhood.

Pedestrian-friendly streets

Well-designed streets are the first thing you must check for when looking for a walkable neighbourhood. That means streets are designed with pedestrians in mind. You want to look for wide sidewalks that can accommodate several people simultaneously.

There should also be good shade, so tree canopies, tree-lined streets, and well-landscaped areas are good signs. Poorer neighbourhoods usually have minimal to no greenery, which indicates what you can expect.

Well-lit areas

When searching for a walkable neighbourhood, you must pay attention to the lighting situation in that area. Consider visiting the neighbourhood in the evening to check this. Adequate lighting improves safety for residents, riders, and pedestrians, especially when you have young children. There might be better choices for your family than a low-lit neighbourhood.

User-friendly street furniture

If you can easily spot benches, picnic tables, water fountains, and neighbours sitting around, you know that the community has a high walkability score. Public infrastructure like this suggests that the city has thought about walkability and has made investments to encourage it.

Places to walk to

Walkability is about more than just safe streets and wide sidewalks. In an urban setting, driving in traffic and finding parking can be a chore, so you should also have convenient amenities around that you can walk to.

For example, having a grocery store right around the corner will make life easier for various reasons. You could up the frequency of your visits to the store and always have fresh food without having to drive every time. So, walking safely and quickly to nearby restaurants, bars, shopping complexes, etc., is a luxury you should seek.

Low-speed limits

Speeding vehicles are the last thing you would want to encounter when walking through the neighbourhood. The most walkable neighbourhoods usually have low-speed limits on their roads. You also want to look for anti-speed measures, such as speed bumps, implemented well to ensure utmost safety.

Cleanliness and maintenance

You can only safely stick to the sidewalk if the neighbourhood is clean and well-maintained. The neighbourhood should have a good track record of fixing maintenance issues like loose paving slabs or broken street lamps quickly and efficiently.

It is also a good idea to check out the buildings and builders in Bangalore. Well-maintained properties that are in use show that it’s a thriving area and will continue to be maintained well in the future.

Public transportation nearby

Living in a walkable neighbourhood doesn’t mean that you will be walking to work. Instead, you want to be able to walk to various public transit stations from where you can get quick transportation to go places. You want to be looking for a metro or bus station that covers your routes.

Final words

One of the most important and often ignored factors when deciding on a new home is walkability. Finding a dream walkable neighbourhood can be a dreaded task, but you should be good if you have this checklist on hand. This is one among the main reason people move to Bangalore. 

Are you looking for your dream home in Bangalore that’s nested in a fantastic neighbourhood? Explore Sterling Developers website and we might have your dream home ready for you.