Just how important is that walk score number beside that condo listing? The difference between a condo with a walk score of 95 and one with a score of 60 can be night and day. When living in the city, being a stone’s throw from entertainment, dining, shopping, groceries, gym, and parks is a necessity – especially with so many living without a car.
You can find many condos with perfect or near-perfect walk scores in the downtown core. Naturally, as you go further away from the downtown, walk scores drop off significantly.
The following list contains some of the city’s best walkable neighbourhoods, which have a high contingent of new and pre-construction condos.
Bay Street Corridor – Walk score: 99
The Bay Street Corridor is Toronto’s most walkable neighbourhood, in addition to having a perfect transit score. Commuters, shoppers, diners, and more line up for rental opportunities in communities like this. This neighbourhood is home to well over 1,500 restaurants, cafes and bars, Toronto’s Eaton Centre, several iconic theatres, and more. Residents of the Bay Street Corridor are never too far away from the best the city has to offer.
The One Condos – Mizrahi Developments
Visible from just about anywhere in Toronto, The One Condo Tower stands at the top of the Bay-Street Corridor in Yorkville. Sales and floor plans are coming soon.
Church-Yonge Corridor – walk score: 98
Coming in at number 2 is Toronto’s Church Street Corridor. Running parallel to Toronto’s Bay Street Corridor, this neighbourhood also shares many of its neighbours world-class amenities. This corridor is home to popular destinations like the Hockey Hall of Fame, Maple Leaf Gardens, and also plays host to the Toronto Pride Parade.
Fleur Condos – Menkes Developments
Fleur Condos is being developed by Menkes and designed by architectsAlliance. This 29-storey tower will be mere steps from Toronto’s Eaton Centre and the heart of the city.
Kensington-Chinatown – walk score: 97
This Toronto neighbourhood is one of the city’s most colourful, historic and eclectic. It is also close to many of the city’s best condos in the south of the district along Queen Street West and Richmond. With access to several of Toronto’s best bars and restaurants along Queen and King, as well as the authentic Asian cuisine in Chinatown, residents are never short of a great night out.
170 Spadina Condos – Plaza – walk score pending
Currently in registration phase, 170 Spadina Condos is the spot for renters looking to soak up the whole downtown Toronto experience. Residents are truly in the centre of all the action.
Top Toronto Neighbourhoods for Walk Score
| Neighbourhood | Walk Score |
| Bay Street Corridor | 99 |
| Church-Yonge Corridor | 98 |
| Kensington-Chinatown | 97 |
| University | 97 |
| Palmerston-Little Italy | 95 |
| Mount Pleasant West | 95 |
| Moss Park | 95 |
| Annex | 94 |
| Trinity-Bellwoods | 94 |
| North St.James Town | 93 |
| Waterfront Communities-The Island | 92 |
| Cabbagetown-South St.James Town | 91 |
| South Riverdale | 91 |
| Roncesvalles | 91 |
*Data pulled from walkscore.com
How Is Walk Score Measured?
Walk score is the measure of a person’s ability to accomplish errands by foot. After things like walking distance to restaurants, shopping centres, grocery stores, parks, schools, public transit and other essential amenities are taken into consideration, a score between 0 and 100 is given. It is important to note that walk score does not reflect access to highways or anything related to driving.
A score 90-100 is considered to be a “Walker’s Paradise.” 70-89 means public transit is fairly convenient meaning many tasks can be completed on foot 50-59 is considered to be good and any lower than 50 means that those living there need to rely heavily on a car.
Should I Be Looking at That Condo With A Low Walk Score?
When scouting for potential investments, we can turn a blind eye to some of the projects that sport less than favourable transit or walk scores. However, there are several great investment opportunities for condos in Toronto that aren’t necessarily a “walkers paradise”. There are several other telling signs that contribute to a condos overall potential. While the walk score may be low, other factors like transit score, condo amenities, and access to major highways become bigger selling features.
If finding a project with a good walk score is important to you, then there you may be able to find neighbourhoods where the walk score is set to improve with new development in the area. Just look at the developments in Riverside and around CityPlace. Condos around the proposed mega mall in Toronto’s East Harbour are going to benefit by having quick access to new stores and parks, and residents close to the VIA/Go Train tracks near Union Station are going to benefit greatly from the city’s new Rail Deck Park. It’s a great idea when investing in pre-construction to keep on top of future developments that are going to increase the value of a given neighbourhood – and to get in early.
For more information on how we analyze the perfect pre-construction condo investment in Toronto, stay tuned to the TalkCondo blog.
