Santa Fe's Walkability
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Santa Fe’s Walkability Mapping the City’s Urban Strengths CityCity ofof SantaSanta FeFe LandLand UseUse DepartmentDepartment LongLong RangeRange PlanningPlanning DivisionDivision Photo courtesy: Trover, Creative Commons Santa Fe’s Walkability Mapping the City’s Urban Strengths Lisa Martinez, Land Use Department Director Reed Liming, Long Range Planning Division Director Richard Macpherson, Senior Planner David Barsanti, G.I.S. Analyst Gil Martinez, Graphics Designer July, 2017 Walk Score® is a registered trademark of Redfin Real Estate, Seattle, WA. A special thanks to Aleisha Jacobson at Redfin’s Walk Score® office. i Santa Fe’s Walkability … Defining the City’s Urban Core Santa Fe is famed for its historic buildings and narrow streets. Visitors and Measuring Walkability residents value the historic part of the city for its walkability, reflecting how towns and cities felt to residents and visitors before the dominance of the automobile. Measuring walkability and understanding the “ingredients” that are needed Since World War II, however, much of Santa Fe has reflected land development to make a place more walkable has gained increasing interest. The following patterns with more spread-out, suburban-style subdivisions and large commercial analysis shows those areas of Santa Fe that have the greatest levels of walkability tracts with over-sized parking lots. This development trend is based on the car and as measured by the nearness (usually a 5-10 minute walk) of key daily needs reflects modern development patterns found in virtually every U.S. town and city. and desires of residents, including: Schools, Parks, Grocery Stores, Restaurants, Errands, Shopping and Cultural Activities. Walkability Walk Score® is a tool used to determine which parts of Santa Fe are the most While Santa Feans may enjoy walking around their neighborhood and enjoy the walkable and therefore, from a planning standpoint, reflect the most efficient uses area where they live, “walkability” as used in this report defines those areas in which of land. These are neighborhoods and other residential areas that are within a residents are a relatively short walk from their homes to a destination such as a park, relatively easy walk of the various destinations listed above. Many of these areas school or grocery store. This type of walkability is what usually distinguishes pre- are known to residents based on personal experience, but when mapped, help to World War II city development from post-war development patterns. Americans explain the city’s strengths (walkable and more efficient) and its weaknesses (car have become increasingly interested in reclaiming much of that walkability that dependent and less efficient). It provides policy makers with a tool to determine has been lost over the decades and missing in new developments. As a result, there what is in the best interest of the city’s future when it comes to reviewing and has been increased interest in determining how walkable a place is … whether old approving new land development proposals as well as where capital improvement or new. funds, and how new facilities, might be optimized. Recent studies have shown that many Americans are spending a larger part of their household budget on transportation in the form of cars, while housing costs have been increasing faster than paychecks and availability of well-paying jobs. As a result, many are feeling squeezed by the basic costs of daily living. Meanwhile, Americans are struggling with obesity and related health issues due, in part, to a lack of walking and adequate exercise. These are often cited as the more recent side effects of suburban land development patterns. 1 Santa Fe’s Overall Walkability Santa Fe’s Overall Walkability Map shows the most walkable parts of Santa Fe, when all destinations for the seven categories with the separate Walk Score® measurements are combined. The map shows two primary zones of walkability, “Very Walkable” (walk scores® of 70-100) and “Somewhat Walkable” (walk scores® of 50-69). Very Walkable (most or all daily trips can be made on foot) – Santa Fe’s “Very Somewhat Walkable (some daily trips can be made on foot) – Santa Fe’s Walkable” areas include: “Somewhat Walkable” areas include: • Downtown & Surrounding Neighborhoods – This includes some of the • Downtown & Surrounding Neighborhoods – As you move further away Downtown & Eastside Historic District, as well as the entire Don Gaspar and from the city’s historic core and close-in neighborhoods (for example, west side Westside-Guadalupe Historic Neighborhoods. “Very Walkable” areas also of Casa Solana) walkability remains but at a lower level, where only some of the extend south to Cordova Road. daily trips can be conveniently made on foot. • St. Michael’s Drive Corridor – Both sides of St. Michael’s Drive between • Cerrillos Road & Triangle Area (Casa Alegre, Casa Linda, San Mateo/2nd Cerrillos Road and Pacheco Street which closely aligns with the city’s Mid-Town Street/Pacheco Street Area) LINC (local innovation corridor). • St. Francis Drive Corridor (from Cordova to Zia Road) – On the east • Cerrillos Road Corridor / Area Neighborhoods – The residential areas side of St. Francis including some of the Mateo Heights subdivision; as well as on both sides of Cerrillos Road between Camino Carlos Rey and Richards apartments and condominiums between Zia and Siring Roads. Avenue. • South St. Michael’s Drive Area (Plaza del Sur, South Ridge and Thomas • Airport Road – Includes a Small area between Jemez Road and Cerrillos Heights Neighborhoods) Road along the south side of Airport Road. • Camino Carlos Rey Neighborhoods (Bellamah, La Resolana, Vista del Sol) • Airport Road / Southside Neighborhoods (Las Acequias, Vista Alegre Apts., Rancho Zia MHP) Walkability by Destination The following series of maps shows walkability (or, “walkshed”) within Santa Fe based on the specific destination that people travel to daily: schools, parks, restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, daily errands and cultural activities. The walkshed color (zone) shows the area surrounding a destination that is within a 5-10 minute walk. Ideally, these walksheds would include as many homes, apartments and residents as possible. 2 Santa Fe – Overall Walkability 285 To Santa Fe Very Walkable – 9,000 residents (10% of city population) 84 Hyde MON TE Ski Basin SERE NO Somewhat Walkable – 19,000 residents (23% of city population) SANTA FE Memorial NATIONAL Total Residents Within Walkable Zones - 28,000 Residents (33% of city population) FOREST State Park Future Roads 475 City Limits SAN TA FE ESTAT ES SANGRE SAN TA FE DE CRISTO School Site SU MMIT C 599 A HYDE PARK MOUNTAINS VISTA ESTATE S M EN CAN TAD A I Las Campanas NO LA R SIER RA DE L TIERR NO RTE D A D VISTA R S GR AN DE SANTA FE A N IND IAN K RID GE R A NW Quadrant A NATIONAL P P LAS C A M FOREST E LO S C ERR OS D CO LO RA DO S C Y CAN AD A BISHOPS LODGE RD AN CHA A H J A De Vargas CASA E D SO LA NA MallASEO D PER Nichols E P McClure A ESTAN CIA L PR IMERA L T Reservoir A Reservoir R I Municipal O Downtown RD N Recreation R O D Y LA S N BARR IO LA A LO MAS C Complex CAN AD A Regional CERR O D EL SO L T R Landfill S E CIELO IV LU MBR E A R ED E AM F South Capitol VETERANS MEMORIAL HWYAL TA State Complex W N CASA A LIN D A S MIRACE RRO S CASA ALEG RE CERRILLOS RD MATE O 599 Agua Fria HGTS WILDERNESS GATE SANTA FE S Traditional Village T NATIONAL MICHAELS DRHospital Siler Rd Santa Fe Medical FOREST Area University Complex OLD PECOS TRAIL ST of Art & Design IA ST SIRINGO RD FR A IN LA RESOLANA DE VAR G AS A F HEIG HTS U BELLAMAH U R CAN D ELERO COTTONW OOD G VILLAG E A R SO L Y E CO LO RE S W ZIA RD LO MAS V DE L SO L LA S VISTA DE L I ACEQ U IAS SO L FAIR WAY Zafarano R VILLAG E FE A District VISTA DE L T PR AD O ST FRANCIS DR FRANCIS ST AN RODEO RD LA VI LLA ST Rodeo S CO UN TRY SERE NA VISTA TIE RRA CLUB VERD E REAL GA RD EN S Santa Fe Business Airport Rd A RIVER SID E PARK O PU EB LO S PLAZA TO WN A ND C VILLA L Ind. Park AIRPORT RD Valdes Place CO UN TRY DE RO DE O R D CABA LLE RO Park D COUNTRY CLUB C LA S ESTATE S ESTAN CIAS Ind. Park U S NAVA Y AD E VILLA A CO LO N IA ERNO VISTA PRIMERA V SO NATAR PR ISMA GO MILES RD 25 N PU EB LO S T DE L SO L A Hart SILVERA DO R R D Business UA F G E A Las T Park J R Soleras A Tierra Contenta I Santa Fe E L V Municipal A OLD LAS VEGAS HWY S Airport RAN CHO 25 DE LA CERRILLOS RD D LU N A Pavilion R Southwest A Business Business H REMU D A C I Park 599 RID GE Park R Santa Fe SUR VIEJO BLVD L Community CHO E N D College RA A ID N E V Rancho A Viejo 25 14 0 1 2 Miles Copyright:© 2014 Esri 3 Schools Santa Fe – Schools Walkability Santa Fe’s various elementary, middle and high schools may 285 contain the best coverage To Santa Fe Very Walkable (27,000 residents, 32% of city population) 84 Hyde of walkability of the various MON TE Ski Basin SERE NO Somewhat Walkable (21,500 residents, 26% of city population) SANTA FE Memorial destinations within Santa Fe Total Residents Within Walkable Zones – 48,500 residents (58% of city population) NATIONAL (see map) due to the fact that FOREST State Park schools (especially elementary Future Roads 475 schools) are often placed in City Limits SAN TA FE School Site ESTAT ES SANGRE or near the center of larger SAN TA FE DE CRISTO SU MMIT City Schools C 599 A HYDE PARK MOUNTAINS VISTA ESTATE S M EN CAN TAD A neighborhoods and master- I Las Campanas NO LA R SIER RA DE L TIERR NO RTE planned communities.