How walkable is Columbia, really?

Let’s say you’re looking to buy a new home in a Columbia neighborhood that you’re not completely familiar with. Or perhaps you have family members trying to figure out what’s near that local Airbnb they’re visiting soon.

An interactive map called “Close” helps determine if you can walk to specific destinations like supermarkets, parks, coffee shops, and schools in Cola — and how long those walks will take.

A local look

In this example, we’re looking at a block of Elmwood Park between Price Avenue and Bryan Street. We chose to look at this block’s distance from five destination types:

Parks | 6 minutes
Supermarkets | 8 minutes
Coffee shops | 10 minutes
Libraries | 23 minutes
Public schools | 9 minutes

You can also add a number of other destinations like public transit stops, restaurants, bars, and gyms.

CEs: In NL, cut here, and add a line saying "Learn how to use the map yourself at the link below" + add CTA. It should be right around or under 150 words! Feel free to swap the NL's lead image with the screenshot below, if desired.

Map users can select which block or area they're curious about — once selected, the block will be outlined in yellow. | Screenshot via Close

Try it yourself

Want to use it yourself? First, decide which destinations you’d like to focus on — you can choose these in the bottom left-hand corner of the map.

Once you’ve set the destinations you’re interested in, use the search bar to choose a city. Zoom in on specific areas or neighborhoods, then click to select a particular block.

Once a block has been selected, the information will pop up on the top right-hand corner of the screen; while we chose to only look at walkability in our example, the map can also determine distance via public transit.

Wondering how else you can learn about local neighborhoods? Check out our articles about Columbia neighborhoods as zodiac signs, the history of street names, and more via our City Guides.