Yzabelle Bostyn
A NEW UK study has revealed Spain is one of the world’s most walkable countries.
Published in the Economist, the research judged the ability to explore cities on foot by finding which locations were ‘the most active’.
They found out how people travelled to work, calculating where people cycled and walked the most during their commute.
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Photo by Arturo Castaneyra on Unsplash
Quelimane, a port city found in Mozambique, was declared the most walkable destination.
But Spain took the overall crown, with four cities in the top ten ranking.
Around 30km from Barcelona, Granollers was the country’s most walkable city, with around 72% of workers cycling or walking during their daily commute.
Next was Vitoria-Gasteiz, another northern city alongside Bilbao and Leon.
In all of these locations, more than 65% of the population walked or cycled to work.
In comparison, the UK didn’t have cities in the top ten and Birmingham was named the least walkable city in the world outside North America.
The region has the world’s least walkable cities and in some, fewer than one percent of residents used active modes of transport to reach their jobs.
Peja, Kosovo, was Europe’s most pedestrian friendly destination, with 80% of people choosing to walk or cycle to work.
Meanwhile in Asia and Europe’s big metropolises, many people opted for public transport, including London and Paris.
However in smaller cities, people more often chose to walk or cycle.
