Bikeability is getting more attention these days from developers, both residential and commercial.
They’re recognizing that bikeable areas encourage bicycling for commuting, running errands and relaxing on the weekends. This is a good thing, because bicycling is better for people’s health, for the local retail economy and for overall housing affordability.
Developers are also realizing that to attract younger generations to their workplaces or housing, they need to cater to millennials’ desire to live a car-free life.
We can see this trend across the country, but perhaps nowhere more noticeably than in Seattle, Washington.
Amazon’s Bike-Friendly Initiatives
Amazon’s three-tower development in downtown Seattle is a model of bicycling friendliness.
The online retailer is encouraging its employees to commute by bike – building dedicated bike lanes with barriers (“cycle tracks”) and over a thousand stalls for bike storage.
An artist’s rendering of the proposed cycle tracks around Amazon’s development in downtown Seattle. Image source: Seattle Times
Via6 – A Residential Development for Bicyclists
Next door to Amazon, developer Matt Griffin attracts bicyclists to the Via6, a residential mixed-use development.
In the 654-unit project, Griffin included ample bike storage for residents, a bike repair shop for the community and a bike club with locker rooms, maintenance stands and bike wash stations for residents and commuters.
Via6 is certainly popular: it’s been open for a year and is already 90% leased, 6 to 9 months ahead of schedule.
The Via6 apartment project in Seattle. Image Source: Cascade Bicycle Club
Maponics Bikeability Scores
Real estate developers can identify which areas are the most bikeable, thus offering the best potential to support bike-friendly development, with Maponics Context™ Commuter Scores, which includes a Bikeability score.
When you project Maponics Context Commuter Scores onto our Neighborhood Boundaries, ZIP Code Boundaries or School Boundaries, you get a clear picture of which geographies are the most attractive to the growing population of bicyclists.
To learn more about Bikeability and Context Commuter Scores, contact us.