How walkable is Calgary?
Calgary has a walkability score of 90 out of 100 around its centre, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It is the 3rd most walkable of 4 cities ranked in Canada.
What's within walking distance
1,957 shops, restaurants, parks and other everyday places are mapped within a 30 minute walk of central Calgary. The nearest grocery is Mini Market, about 10 minutes away on foot. It earns full or nearly full points for restaurants & bars, shopping, coffee, banks, parks, books & libraries and culture & entertainment.
- Mini Market820 m · 10 min
- Cynthia's NOFRILLS Calgary860 m · 11 min
- Gus's Mart930 m · 12 min
- Monki Breakfast Club & Bistro Greenwich50 m · 1 min
- Ambrosia Veggie House130 m · 2 min
- Wendy's190 m · 2 min
- Canna Cabana Edmonton Trail20 m · 1 min
- All Time Concrete Lifting40 m · 1 min
- Shannon Hutchison Photography70 m · 1 min
- Coffee Addicts Inc300 m · 4 min
- Oolong Tea Shop Kensington380 m · 5 min
- Mondays Plant Café450 m · 6 min
- Bridgewater Bank290 m · 4 min
- Arlene Financial320 m · 4 min
- BMO Bank of Montreal400 m · 5 min
- BowForth Park60 m · 1 min
- Unnamed park100 m · 1 min
- West Eau Claire Park230 m · 3 min
- St. John Reception Centre780 m · 10 min
- CDI College - Calgary City Centre940 m · 12 min
- Fueling Brains Academy1.1 km · 14 min
- Wee Book Inn390 m · 5 min
- Pages On Kensington470 m · 6 min
- Sigla Books570 m · 7 min
- The Plaza Theatre430 m · 5 min
- Bacchus 5th530 m · 7 min
- Contemporary Calgary590 m · 7 min
Measured from the representative point at 51.0501, -114.0853. Walking times assume 80 m per minute along an estimated street route.
Street layout
Within 800 m of the representative point there are about 64 street intersections per km², and blocks average 124 m long. Sparser streets or longer blocks reduce the score by 2%, since they make walks longer than the straight-line distance suggests.
Walkability around the centre
Scores at seven points within 1 km of the centre range from 82 to 97, and Calgary's score of 90 is their median.
| Point | Score | Map |
|---|---|---|
| City centre | 90 | Map |
| 1 km north | 90 | Map |
| 1 km east-northeast | 87 | Map |
| 1 km east-southeast | 97 | Map |
| 1 km south | 97 | Map |
| 1 km west-southwest | 87 | Map |
| 1 km west-northwest | 82 | Map |
Nearby cities
| City | Distance | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, United States | 1,923 km | 97 |
| Phoenix, United States | 1,966 km | 88 |
| Mexicali, Mexico | 2,054 km | 88 |
| San Diego, United States | 2,057 km | 98 |
| Tijuana, Mexico | 2,079 km | 81 |
Questions about walking in Calgary
Is Calgary a walkable city?
Yes. Central Calgary has a walkability score of 90 out of 100, which makes it a Walker's Paradise, where daily errands do not require a car. It ranks 3rd of 4 cities in Canada and 134th of 252 worldwide on How Walkable.
What is the most walkable city in Canada?
Ottawa is the most walkable of the 4 cities ranked in Canada, with a score of 97. Calgary ranks 3rd with 90.
How does Calgary compare with nearby cities?
Calgary sits between its nearest ranked neighbours: Calgary scores 90, against Los Angeles (97, 1923 km away), Phoenix (88, 1966 km away) and Mexicali (88, 2054 km away).
How is Calgary's walkability score calculated?
The score counts groceries, restaurants, shops, cafés, banks, parks, schools, libraries and cultural venues within a 30 minute walk, gives nearer places more weight, and deducts up to 20% where streets are sparse or blocks are long. For Calgary it is the median of seven points within 1 km of the city centre, using open map data from Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.
Scores follow a published walkability method, explained in the methodology. City position and population from GeoNames.