Vancouver named one of Canada's most walkable cities.

        A company from Seattle has recently named Vancouver as Canada’s most walkable city with Toronto and Montreal in 2nd and 3rd place respectively. This can only be further good news for Vancouver’s real estate market as it reflects positively on a city that is already considered to be environmentally friendly.

        Vancouver is considered one of the best places to live in the world, in a time when environmental issues are so important, the ability of Vancouverites to leave their car at home is just one more reason why people may choose to settle in Vancouver.

        Although at times controversial in the media, Vancouver's Mayor has enacted many initiatives which have placed Vancouver in the spot light for environmental awareness. Vancouver is home to a number of bike lanes on busy downtown streets and well-travelled bridges, and although this may cause headaches for commuters, it is a step in the right direction when you consider long-term sustainability.

        Of Greater Vancouver, the downtown core is considered the highest rated neighbourhood, followed by the West End, Strathcona, Kitsilano and Fairview.  In a city where a parking stall can run you $40,000 when purchased directly from a developer, the ability to live in a pedestrian-friendly area is a highly appealing notion for many residents. Downtown living often enables families to get by with just a single car, which means more walking as well as more train rides on Vancouver’s growing Sky Train system.

        I suspect the use of walkscores to measure the desirability of cities and neighbourhoods will likely become a much greater part of the real estate process, especially in a city like Vancouver. We already see a high demand for properties near the Sky Train or in North Vancouver’s Lower Lonsdale community near the Seabus terminal.

        New Condo Developments that can boast being located in a high walkscore neighbourhood will have a considerable advantage moving forward. Canadians as a whole are regarding environmental sustainability as an increasingly important factor in their lives. As such, one can imagine that these individuals will regard walkable neighbourhoods more favorably.

        The computer program currently used may be an early prototype but the creators are pleased with the results they are seeing and local experts are collaborating to determine the validity of the findings. In the near future walkscores will be made readily available to all investors and home owners alike; and this is good news for a city such as Vancouver which already boasts such a high score.

        It remains unclear what impact such a rating will have on the market, but in a global community that continues to place a greater importance of sustainability, we can only imagine it will have a positive impact on neighbourhoods that can proudly boast their walkability. 

        To view homes prices in Vancouver and North Vancouver please visit www.andrewgreenhomes.com.