Chicago is America's No. 5 most walkable city, according to a study released this week (but where do we rank on the urban danceability list?), though nearly all of our walkable urban development is located in the central city. Offices in walkable urban places (WalkUPs) command 74% more rent than the US market as a whole (these boots are made for rentin'), says Chris Leinberger, prez of Locus, a developer affiliate of Smart Growth America, which did the study. But "walkable urbanism" confined to the city limits leaves out many businesses and households that need to locate in the surburbs. An unbelievable 388 local jurisdictions in the Chicago metro area control land use, which has really hampered suburban development, but that's where the greatest opportunities lie for urbanization and an improved economy.
We're No. 5!
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Chris Leinberger, Smart Growth America
