Most Walkable Cities In Canada

 

 

Walk Score : Find Your Neighborhood

Walkability tends to be based on two things.
Whether most of the development happened before everyone owned a car, and whether the area has natural barriers like water that inhibit sprawl to make cities more dense and walkable.

In the case of Vancouver, the entire downtown area is a walker’s paradise, with a great focus on balancing green space, like Stanley Park, with high-density housing.

Check out the Walk Scores of:
Nelson, British Columbia : Walker’s Paradise
Cranbrook, British Columbia : Very Walkable
Creston, British Columbia : Somewhat Walkable
Fort Nelson, British Columbia : Somewhat Walkable
Kelowna , British Columbia : Walker’s Paradise
Langley, British Columbia : Very Walkable
Kamloops, British Columbia : Walker’s Paradise
Osoyoos, British Columbia : Very Walkable
Squamish, British Columbia : Very Walkable

 

Why We Pay More for Walkable Neighborhoods
People are willing to pay a premium to live in an accessible neighbourhood.

 

#1: Vancouver
City: Vancouver, British Columbia
Walk Score: 78
Population: 603,502
Rated: Very Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Downtown, West End, Stratcona

#2: Victoria
City: Victoria, British Columbia
Walk Score: 77.7
Population: 80,017
Rated: Very Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Harris Green, Downtown, North Park

#3: Toronto
City: Toronto, Ontario
Walk Score: 71.4
Population: 2,615,060
Rated: Very Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Bay Street Corridor, Church-Yonge Corridor, Kensington-Chinatown

#4: Halifax
City: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Walk Score: 70.5
Population: 97,854
Rated: Very Walkable

#5: Montreal
City: Montreal, Quebec
Walk Score: 70.4
Population: 1,649,519
Rated: Very Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Plateau-Mont-Royal, Ville-Marie, Outremont

#6: Burnaby
City: Burnaby, British Columbia
Walk Score: 63.6
Population: 223,218
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#7: Mississauga
City: Mississauga, Ontario
Walk Score: 58.6
Population: 713,443
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#8: Longueuil
City: Longueuil, Quebec
Walk Score: 56.4
Population: 231,409
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#9: Yellowknife
City: Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Walk Score: 56.2
Population: 19,234
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#10: Richmond
City: Richmond, British Columbia
Walk Score: 55.1
Population: 190,473
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#11: Burlington
City: Burlington, Ontario
Walk Score: 54.1
Population: 175,799
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#12: Ottawa
City: Ottawa, Ontario
Walk Score: 53.9
Population: 883,391
Rated: Somewhat Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Somerset, Rideau-Vanier, Capital

#13: Winnipeg
City: Winnipeg, Manitoba
Walk Score: 52.9
Population: 663,617
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#14: Saskatoon
City: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Walk Score: 51.7
Population: 222,189
Rated: Somewhat Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Central Business District, Nutana, City Park

#15: Surrey
City: Surrey, British Columbia
Walk Score: 51.2
Population: 468,251
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#16: Charlottetown
City: Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Walk Score: 51.2
Population: 34,562
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#17: Edmonton
City: Edmonton, Alberta
Walk Score: 50.9
Population: 812,201
Rated: Somewhat Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Downtown, Garneau, Rossdale

#18: Hamilton
City: Hamilton, Ontario
Walk Score: 50.9
Population: 519,949
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#19: Oakville
City: Oakville, Ontario
Walk Score: 50.9
Population: 182,520
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#20: Oshawa
City: Oshawa, Ontario
Walk Score: 50.9
Population: 149,607
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#21: Richmond Hill
City: Richmond Hill, Ontario
Walk Score: 50.3
Population: 185,541
Rated: Somewhat Walkable

#22: Regina
City: Regina, Saskatchewan
Walk Score: 49.8
Population: 193,100
Rated: Somewhat Walkable
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Old 33, Arcola Sub, Crescents

#23: Vaughan
City: Vaughan, Ontario
Walk Score: 49.4
Population: 288,301
Rated: Car-Dependent

#24: Windsor
City: Windsor, Ontario
Walk Score: 49.1
Population: 210,891
Rated: Car-Dependent
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: City Centre, South Central, Walkerville

#25: Québec
City: Québec City, Quebec
Walk Score: 48.9
Population: 516,622
Rated: Car-Dependent
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Saint-Jean Baptiste, Saint Roch, Vieux-Québec/Cap-Blanc/Colline parlementaire

#26: London
City: London, Ontario
Walk Score: 48.6
Population: 366,151
Rated: Car-Dependent

#27: Brampton
City: Brampton, Ontario
Walk Score: 48.1
Population: 523,911
Rated: Car-Dependent

#28: Calgary
City: Calgary, Alberta
Walk Score: 47.9
Population: 1,096,833
Rated: Car-Dependent
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: Chinatown, Downtown Commercial Core, Cliff Bungalow

#29: Markham
City: Markham, Ontario
Walk Score: 47.2
Population: 301,709
Rated: Car-Dependent

#30: Kitchener
City: Kitchener, Ontario
Walk Score: 47.1
Population: 219,153
Rated: Car-Dependent

#31: Laval
City: Laval, Quebec
Walk Score: 46.8
Population: 401,553
Rated: Car-Dependent

#32: St. John’s
City: St. John’s, Newfoundland
Walk Score: 45.6
Population: 106,172
Rated: Car-Dependent

#33: Gatineau
City: Gatineau, Quebec
Walk Score: 43.8
Population: 265,349
Rated: Car-Dependent

#34: Sherbrooke
City: Sherbrooke, Quebec
Walk Score: 39.2
Population: 154,601
Rated: Car-Dependent

#35: Fredericton
City: Fredericton, New Brunswick
Walk Score: 38.9
Population: 56,224
Rated: Car-Dependent
Best Neighbourhoods For Walkability: UNB/East End, Sunshine Gardens/West End, Odell Park/Parkside Drive

#36: Whitehorse
City: Whitehorse, Yukon
Walk Score: 25.6
Population: 23,276
Rated: Car-Dependent

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Car-Free Areas In Canada

 
 

St. John’s, N.L.
Where: George St.
When: After 6 p.m., all year-round
Any particular reason?: This is the heart of St. John’s entertainment district, and also acts as the main stage for festivals and Mardi Gras

Charlottetown, P.E.I
Where: Victoria Row
When: During the summer months
Any particular reason?: A place for citizens to gather for music, food and general hanging out

Dartmouth, N.S.
Where: Portland Street and Prince Albert Road
When: June 15 and August 24, 2014
Any particular reason?: “It is about opening streets to a greater variety of transportation modes,” via Switch Open Street Sundays.

Halifax
Where: Granville Mall
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: A shopping district created out of a former street

Montreal
Where: Ste-Catherine Street, between St-Hubert and Papineau
When: From May 15 to September 1, 2014
Any particular reason?: Aires Libres, making way for free art exhibits, street vendors as well as a backdrop for many restaurant patios, according to Hotels.com

Quebec City
Where: Petit Champlain district
When: Always
Any particular reason?: Narrow cobblestone streets — and tourist charm. Carefree Cities calls it the “one decent example of a carfree district” in North America.

 

 

Mont-Tremblant, Que.
Where: The village at the foot of the hill
When: Always
Any particular reason?: Tourism — it helps to create a “European-style village” feel at the bottom of this ski resort, notes Hotels.com.

Ottawa
Where: Sparks St.
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: Open-air mall and festival venue

Toronto
Where: Yonge and Bloor Streets
When: August 17 and 31, 2014
Any particular reason?: For Open Streets TO, which will close these streets to cars, “promoting physical activity and exploring our city in healthy and fun ways.”

Also: Kensington Market in the summer, where the whole market is closed to cars on the last Sunday of the month

Toronto Islands, Ont.
Where: Just a ferry ride from downtown Toronto
When: Always
Any particular reason?: No space, no need

Victoria Beach, Man.
Where: An hour and a half north of Winnipeg (and yes, the whole city)
When: June 20 to September 1, 2014 (and every summer)
Any particular reason?: To maintain the resort-like feel of this community, which features beaches and is home to thousands of cottagers in the summer.

Regina
Where: Scarth Street Mall
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: Open-air mall

Calgary
Where: Stephen Ave. (8 Ave. SW)
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: A pedestrian shopping area, entertainment district.

Vancouver
Where: Granville Island
When: Every weekend, from June 28 to Labour Day, 2014
Any particular reason?: Part of Viva Vancouver’s plan for the summer, which includes other areas of the city at other points.

Whistler, B.C.
Where: Whistler Village
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: Much like Mont Tremblant, keeping this area car-free adds to the resort feel of it (and makes it easier for tourists and residents to shop, eat and play)

Victoria, B.C.
Where: Bastion Square
When: All the time
Any particular reason?: Open square, an artisan market throughout the summer.