Why is walkability to public schools & stores so hard to find?

[Anonymous]

Check out the Kentlands in Gaithersburg or the Maple Lawn community in Howard County.

[Anonymous]

This can be done in Lake Arbor and Kettering in PG county.

[Anonymous]

Because you live in the DMV.

[Anonymous]

Falls CHurch City-walk to three schools, library and soon to be biggest Whole Foods--though obviously will drive to grocery store.

[Anonymous]

You need urban density to walk to everything. Very few places in DMV have that sort of density. And with that density, you're more looking at condos, apartments, and maybe townhouses - not a sfh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The short answer to your question is 50+ years of poor urban planning and car-centric design. In most cases, the decision to make things unwalkable was very much on purpose. We've (mostly) realized the error of that approach by now, but walkable spaces are now pretty scarce outside of pre-WWII neighborhoods, and they're enough in demand that they go for a large price premium even though walkability doesn't really cost more to build.

We're starting to retrofit walkable infrastructure into suburban neighborhoods, but it'll take decades, and we're limited with what can be done within the constraints of many of the choices that are already baked in.

Ding ding ding. Basically op, it’s literally illegal to build walkable neighborhoods in most of America. That’s the reason AU Park is so absurdly expensive

What?

[Anonymous]

We live in Alexandria (Eastern Fairfax County part) and are walkable to elementary and middle, about a 1 mile to High School and 1/4 mile to grocery store. People will dump all over our high schools here, but honestly they are fine and if your kid is engaged and has parents at home they can thrive. FWIW - We have loved walking to schools AND being 2 miles from the beltway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because schools are big. ES have 500+ kids instead of small ones. And it only gets bigger from there.

+1

Everything is on a massive scale.

Yes. And even if you do find something walkable it's very rare to be walkable to ES and MS and HS.

And if you ARE walkable to all 3, there's no way you're walkable to stores too.

The only two that I can think of are North Chevy Chase Elementary & Ashburton Elementary -- they're both walkable to stores less than a mile away... maybe Cabin John too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The short answer to your question is 50+ years of poor urban planning and car-centric design. In most cases, the decision to make things unwalkable was very much on purpose. We've (mostly) realized the error of that approach by now, but walkable spaces are now pretty scarce outside of pre-WWII neighborhoods, and they're enough in demand that they go for a large price premium even though walkability doesn't really cost more to build.

We're starting to retrofit walkable infrastructure into suburban neighborhoods, but it'll take decades, and we're limited with what can be done within the constraints of many of the choices that are already baked in.

Ding ding ding. Basically op, it’s literally illegal to build walkable neighborhoods in most of America. That’s the reason AU Park is so absurdly expensive

I'm sorry... ILLEGAL??
Please cite your sources or explain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The short answer to your question is 50+ years of poor urban planning and car-centric design. In most cases, the decision to make things unwalkable was very much on purpose. We've (mostly) realized the error of that approach by now, but walkable spaces are now pretty scarce outside of pre-WWII neighborhoods, and they're enough in demand that they go for a large price premium even though walkability doesn't really cost more to build.

We're starting to retrofit walkable infrastructure into suburban neighborhoods, but it'll take decades, and we're limited with what can be done within the constraints of many of the choices that are already baked in.

Ding ding ding. Basically op, it’s literally illegal to build walkable neighborhoods in most of America. That’s the reason AU Park is so absurdly expensive

And AU Park sucks. Who wants to walk to what they can walk to besides Wagshals.

[Anonymous]

Because families want to live in single family homes, not high-rise condos. Single family homes need large lots. Large lots with low density = lower walkability.

As someone currently raising kids in a triplex in a highly walkable urban neighborhood, I now totally get why someone would choose a SFH in a low-density neighborhood even though it means life in a car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because schools are big. ES have 500+ kids instead of small ones. And it only gets bigger from there.

+1

Everything is on a massive scale.

Yes. And even if you do find something walkable it's very rare to be walkable to ES and MS and HS.

And if you ARE walkable to all 3, there's no way you're walkable to stores too.

The only two that I can think of are North Chevy Chase Elementary & Ashburton Elementary -- they're both walkable to stores less than a mile away... maybe Cabin John too?

Parts of Kensington are technically walkable to downtown and also ES, MS, and HS. I’m just a tad bit too north to make it convenient but it’s technically possible.

[Anonymous]

+1 to poor urban planning, particularly after WWII when everyone thought they deserved a SFH and a car.

We are near downtown Bethesda and walkable to stores, elementary school and high school but you do have to sacrifice budget or space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The short answer to your question is 50+ years of poor urban planning and car-centric design. In most cases, the decision to make things unwalkable was very much on purpose. We've (mostly) realized the error of that approach by now, but walkable spaces are now pretty scarce outside of pre-WWII neighborhoods, and they're enough in demand that they go for a large price premium even though walkability doesn't really cost more to build.

We're starting to retrofit walkable infrastructure into suburban neighborhoods, but it'll take decades, and we're limited with what can be done within the constraints of many of the choices that are already baked in.

Ding ding ding. Basically op, it’s literally illegal to build walkable neighborhoods in most of America. That’s the reason AU Park is so absurdly expensive

I'm sorry... ILLEGAL??
Please cite your sources or explain.

I'm the PP they were responding to (not the poster who said it's illegal), but they're not being inaccurate. Minimum lot size and occupancy regulations often make it impossible to build anything that we would think of as walkable in any kind of practical sense. In many jurisdictions, sidewalks are still not required consistently, which makes walking difficult. Regulations often require roads to be built in ways that prioritize car throughout but make walking unpleasant or dangerous. It may not be illegal to walk, but laws and regulations often make it illegal to build anyplace where you would want to.

[Anonymous]

Much of the area zoned to Murch is walkable to stores and all three schools! But agree this is super hard to find.