I know I am guilty of jumping in my car and driving to the dairy or doctors. But what if it was possible to leave my car at home and walk to these destinations if they were situated within 10-15 minutes? There has been some recent research on how our cities and towns compare and it was very interesting.
Every town and city in New Zealand has key amenities that residents use daily. From schools to healthcare facilities, parking spaces, and even dairies, many cities are designed to be internally self-sufficient. But, how accessible are these amenities to the area’s residents?
By accessible, we mean the time it takes residents to get to these places on foot rather than using a vehicle. In reality, few cities and towns in New Zealand are designed to be walkable cities such that residents can get to key amenities in “15 minutes” or less.
A recent survey by The Conversation showed that six cities in New Zealand were taking the right steps to become more pedestrian-friendly urban areas. This blog reveals the top cities and towns where you can travel to the nearest amenities on foot as per the report and discusses the benefits of being able to do so.
The Most Walkable Cities in New Zealand
The New Zealand government plans to reduce emissions by 2050. To achieve this goal, part of their strategy involves decreasing urban vehicle travel and encouraging more people to walk. For that to happen, cities and towns must restructure to accommodate pedestrians. Here’s a list of the cities that have already started making changes to become more walkable:
- Wellington: Wellington is the most accessible city with an average of 61% of residents living within “15 minutes” of key amenities. Half the population can get to a supermarket in 15 minutes, while 76% of children aged five to nine can get to school within the same time.
- Napier: Napier is the second most walkable city. About 56% of residents can access locations where all their needs are met within 15 minutes.
- Palmerston North: This is one of the best cities to move around on foot, and statistics back this up. 54% of residents can access all services, from hospitals to supermarkets, in 15 minutes or less.
- Blenheim: Most people love to live, work, and even grow their families in Blenheim, and it’s easy to see why. 52% of the city’s residents can walk to different amenities within 15 minutes.
- Invercargill: As the southernmost city in New Zealand, Invercargill has one of the best percentages in terms of accessibility. Key amenities are located 15 minutes from where 49% of residents live.
- Hastings: Hastings is the sixth most walkable city, with about 48% of residents able to get around easily. In fact, 15% of residents can walk to all amenities in an average of 10 minutes.
Supermarkets were the main amenity many residents considered the key that contributed to these cities being the most walkable.
You can use the interactive guide to check your own neighbourhood’s accessibility. I used it to check mine:
- Gisborne: Although Gisborne isn’t exactly a “15-minute city” per se, on average, walking to all amenities takes about 21-minutes. Data on this beautiful coastal city also revealed that 5% of residents are within a 10-minute walk of all amenities, while GP is the least accessible amenity on foot. This data is very helpful for our GPs in determining where to situate their premises in relation to the general public.
Benefits of Having Accessible Neighbourhoods
It goes without saying that the easier it is for area residents to access amenities, the faster they will adopt walking. Some benefits of people preferring to travel on foot rather than in vehicles include:
- Reduced emissions – reduced reliance on vehicles means fewer gas emissions into the environment, which contributes to the overall goal of “going greener.”
- Better social connectness – in a world dominated by technology and social media, walking encourages interaction and social cohesion as people get closer to one another.
- Improved health – consistently walking is an effective way to reduce weight, minimise the risk of blood pressure and diabetes, and improve your overall well-being.
- Saves on costs – walking saves fuel or commuting costs when inflation is at its highest, and saving a coin or two could be life-changing.
The Reality
The truth is that accessibility is important to the well-being of our communities and the environment. Hopefully, more places will embrace the idea of being more walkable cities. It certainly is something that I am advocating for in my home city of Gisborne.
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