{{short description|Private company that provides walkability service}}{{Infobox website | name = Walk Score | logo = Walk Score logo.png | logo_alt = Walk Score logo | logo_size = 220px | logo_caption = | screenshot = | collapsible = | collapsetext = | caption = | type = Walkability services | language = English | headquarters = Seattle, Washington, U.S. | url = {{URL|https://www.walkscore.com/}} | commercial = Yes | registration = Optional | owner = Redfin | founder = {{plainlist | * Mike Mathieu * Jesse Kocher * Matt Lerner * Josh Herst }} | launch_date = {{Start date and age|2007|07}} | current_status = Active }} '''Walk Score''', a subsidiary of Redfin, provides walkability analysis and apartment search tools. Its flagship product is a large-scale, public access walkability index that assigns a numerical walkability score to any address in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Walk Score is a type of automated efficiency model focused on location efficiency. A Walk Score, as well as a Bike Score and a Transit Score, may be assigned to a particular address or an entire region, and the company maintains a ranking of the most walkable cities in the United States. Products for computer programmers include Travel Time API. Higher walk scores have been correlated with higher property values<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-walk-score-boosts-your-homes-value-2016-08-11 | title=How a high 'walk score' boosts your home's value | first=Daniel | last=Goldstein | work=MarketWatch | date=August 11, 2016 | url-access=limited}}</ref> and lower mortgage default risk.<ref>{{Cite journal | title=Walk Score: The Significance of 8 and 80 for Mortgage Default Risk in Multifamily Properties | first=Gary | last=Pivo | journal=Journal of Sustainable Real Estate | date=June 18, 2020| volume=6 | pages=187–210 | doi=10.1080/10835547.2014.12091859 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
==History== Walk Score was founded in July 2007 by Mike Mathieu <ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/realestate/10post.html | title=How Walkable Is Your Neighborhood? | first=Max | last=Roosevelt | work=The New York Times | date=August 10, 2008 | url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Web Site Takes a Pedestrian View | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080301711.html | first=Kathleen | last=Hom | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=August 7, 2007}}</ref> and aided by Matt Lerner, Jesse Kocher, and Josh Herst, formerly of Madrona Venture Group.
In August 2010, the company launched Transit Score to help users understand the proximity of public transport to an address.<ref>{{Cite press release | url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/walk-score-launches-transit-score-and-commute-reports-100740844.html | title=Walk Score® Launches Transit Score™ and Commute Reports | publisher=PR Newswire | date=August 16, 2010}}</ref>
In 2011, Walk Score unveiled an apartment search tool that locates available housing based on commute time to a given location. The tool calculates commute times for various modes of transport including walking, cycling, driving, and public transit.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://techcrunch.com/2011/09/26/walk-score-takes-wraps-off-slick-new-apartment-locating-tool/ | title=Walk Score Takes Wraps Off Slick New Apartment-Locating Tool | first=Devin | last=Coldewey | work=TechCrunch | date=September 26, 2011}}</ref>
In January 2012, the company raised $2 million from angel investors, including Geoff Entress, Shel Kaphan, former chief technology officer of Amazon.com, and Rudy Gadre, former general counsel of Facebook.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/seattle-based-walk-score-gets-2-million-from-investors/ | title=Seattle-based Walk Score gets $2 million from investors | work=The Seattle Times | date=January 20, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.geekwire.com/2012/walk-score-propels-2m/ | title=Walk Score propels forward with $2 million, promises commutes that 'don't suck' | first=JOHN | last=COOK | work=GeekWire | date=January 13, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2012/02/startup-of-the-week-walk-score.html | title=Startup of the Week: Walk Score | first=Aislyn | last=Greene | work=American City Business Journals | date=February 21, 2012}}</ref>
In May 2012, the company launched Bike Score, a quantitative measure of bikeability to/from an address based on the availability of bike lanes, hilliness, road connectivity, nearby amenities, and the percentage of people in that area who bike to work.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bikeleague.org/content/walk-score-launches-bike-score | title=WALK SCORE LAUNCHES BIKE SCORE | first=Carolyn | last=Szczepanski | work=League of American Bicyclists | date=May 16, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-05-14/walk-score-launches-bike-score | title=Walk Score Launches Bike Score | first=Sarah |last=Goodyear | work=Bloomberg News | date=May 14, 2012}}</ref>
In April 2013, the company launched Travel Time API.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.geekwire.com/2013/walkscore-tool-measures-neighborhood-access-restaurants-coffee-shops/ | title=Walk Score tool measures neighborhood access for restaurants, schools, coffee | first=TAYLOR | last=SOPER | work=GeekWire | date=April 11, 2013}}</ref>
In September 2014, the company launched crime maps.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://dcist.com/story/14/09/09/map-walk-score-launches-crime-map/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220924090542/https://dcist.com/story/14/09/09/map-walk-score-launches-crime-map/ | url-status=live | archive-date=September 24, 2022 | title=Walk Score Launches Crime Map | first=Sarah Anne | last=Hughes | work=WAMU | date=September 9, 2014}}</ref>
In October 2014, Redfin acquired the company.<ref>{{Cite press release | url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141022006016/en/Redfin-Acquires-Walk-Score | title=Redfin Acquires Walk Score | publisher=Business Wire | date=October 22, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.geekwire.com/2014/redfin-buys-walk-score-marking-first-acquisition-company-history/ | title=Redfin buys Walk Score, marking first acquisition in company history | first=JOHN | last=COOK | work=GeekWire | date=October 22, 2014}}</ref>
==Criticism== Walk Score has been criticized for the limits of its accuracy and relevancy in methodology and results. Specifically, Walk Score doesn't calculate whether there are sidewalks, how many lanes of traffic one must cross, how much crime occurs in the area, or what the weather is typically like. It also doesn't differentiate between types of amenities, for example, a supermarket grocery store versus a small food mart selling mostly chips and liquor.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-08-07/-walk-score-is-great-but-it-still-doesn-t-capture-walk-appeal | title='Walk Score' Is Great, But it Still Doesn't Capture 'Walk Appeal' | first=Sarah | last=Goodyear | work=Bloomberg News |date=September 20, 2011 | url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Vanderbilt | first=Tom |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/life/walking/2012/04/walking_in_america_how_walk_score_puts_a_number_on_walkability_.html |title=Walking in America: How Walk Score puts a number on walkability | work=Slate |date=April 12, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2016/09/19/value-walkability-and-walk-score-inaccuracies | title=The value of walkability and Walk Score inaccuracies | first=ROBERT | last=STEUTEVILLE | work=Congress for the New Urbanism | date=September 19, 2016}}</ref>
==See also== * Bicycle-friendly * New Urbanism * Permeability (spatial and transport planning)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Further reading== * Stephanie Y. Rauterkus, Grant I. Thrall, and Eric Hangen, 2010. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24860563 "Location Efficiency and Mortgage Default"] ''Journal of Sustainable Real Estate'' (JOSRE), Volume 2, No. 1. * Brewster, Mark, David Hurtado, Sara Olson, and Jessica Yen. 2009. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266900527_Walkscorecom_A_New_Methodology_to_Explore_Associations_Between_Neighborhood_Resources_Race_and_Health "Walkscore.com: A New Methodology to Explore Associations between Neighborhood Resources, Race and Health."] Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health. * Carr, Lucas J., Shira I. Dunsiger, and Bess H. Marcus. 2010. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4845899/ "Validation of Walk Score for estimating access to walkable amenities"]. ''British Journal of Sports Medicine''.
==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.walkscore.com/}}
Category:2007 establishments in the United States Category:2014 mergers and acquisitions Category:Companies based in Seattle Category:Online companies of the United States Category:Internet properties established in 2007 Category:Walking in the United States