



Northbridge among Australia's most walkable suburbs

The 'Walk Score', which calculates distances using Google maps, isn't affected by the antisocial behaviour that is often associated with Northbridge.


The notorious nightlife suburb of Northbridge has been labelled the most "walkable" suburb in Perth.

The inner-city hub scored 95 out of a possible 100 for how easy it is to walk to facilities like shopping centres, medical facilities, restaurants and cafes, according to a "Walk Score" index.

Where they used to say things like 'handy to transport, school, local shops' they just say 'it's got a walkable score of 86' 

The top five suburbs, as listed by the Australian Property Investor magazine, are Northbridge (95), Perth (89), Highgate (87), East Perth (87) and West Perth (87).

"We all enjoy a better quality when we live close to things we need to access all the time," API editor Eynas Brodie said.

"Northbridge has a very high rating of 95, [classing it as a] walkers' paradise, in Northbridge there are 120 restaurants, bars and shops.

"People can walk to 39 in an average of 5 minutes."

Sydney was crowned the most walkable city, with a score of 63, followed by Melbourne (57), Adelaide (54), Brisbane (51) and Perth (50).

"A study found in Brisbane that one point of walk score was worth $9,350 in value, $5 a week in rent and a .125 per cent lift in annual capital gains," Ms Brodie said.

"The research for America showed [one point was worth] up to a $3,000 increase in house price."

Ms Brodie said it wasn't surprising that Northbridge, with its high Walk Score, was popular with backpackers.

"One of the findings was people are using Walk Score when they're travelling overseas, to identify areas that are close to those amenities," she said.

But the score, which calculates distances using Google maps, isn't affected by the antisocial behaviour that is often associated with Northbridge.

Ms Brodie said the scores were being used by real estate agents to sell property.

"Where they used to say things like 'handy to transport, school, local shops' they just say 'it's got a walkable score of 86'," she said.

"It's still very new but it's getting a lot more press coverage so people will eventually cotton-on.

"It hammers home 'location, location, location'."

Abel McGrath Property Group principal Adrian Abel said while the Walk Score was a useful tool, suburbs with a high score weren't necessarily the most popular in Perth because they weren't convenient for families.

"[A high Walk Score] would [translate to a popular suburb] in a bigger city, but in Perth we find that very few families would seriously consider not having a car," he said.

"Whereas if you get into Melbourne or Sydney and you lived in the inner city, you would certainly not have two cars."

Mr Abel said the score couldn't calculate the quality of schools or atmosphere in a suburb.

"The top-selling are western suburbs because of the draw of the private schools," he said.

"None of those [suburbs with a high Walk Score] have a wide choice in quality schooling, which tells me that they would be appealing to the younger population, single professionals and CBD types and downsizers – people coming out of big properties and coming into smaller ones.

"One, I'm surprised Subiaco doesn't come into it."

A Perth sustainable property consultant has taken the scoring system a step further and developed an index that takes intangible factors into account.

"The Walk Score is a great little system because it puts some real value about what we sales people spruik," ARCactive director Mark Drexel said.

"But when we look as the sustainability of a suburb we realise there's more to it than a Walk Score.

"We look at what constitutes a community – the library, shopping centre, nature and rivers contribute to a community.

"Second to that we look at your ability to walk to a transport location and how often the transport frequents that operation.

"We believe that nature is incredibly important to the vitality of a suburb."

Mr Drexel said the ARCactive index was issued to each house, rather than the suburb as a whole.

"We drill down and look at the property in terms of an individual property in terms of liveability, materials, energy and water," he said.

"What we're finding is when you look at places like Canberra, that has mandatory requirements around sustainability... purchasers are starting to pay a premium for good outcomes across those headings.

"That becomes an important story because you can future-proof its value."

Houses with a good ARCactive score are cheaper to "run" in the long-term and will become increasingly popular in the future, said Mr Drexel.

"What we'll see, as has happened in places like California and Germany, is purchasers are saying 'I'm not going to buy that mansion, I can't afford the energy fees'," he said.

"Ten years ago we sold a lot of V8 commodores, but today it's a Mazda 3.

"The purchasers have said 'I can't afford to drive a V8 anymore'."


  • Northbridge is a good spot now and there are Ambassadors around in purple shirts who are very helpful on a Fridyay and Saturday night.

    Date and time
    June 14, 2013, 11:28AM
    • Good bit of propaganda. Only issue is it is false. How many people are in hospital or dead due to being in Northbridge at the wrong time?

      earn it
      Date and time
      June 14, 2013, 2:29PM
      • Not many

        Date and time
        June 14, 2013, 5:25PM
      • You must be fun at parties.

        Date and time
        June 14, 2013, 6:16PM
      • @earn it - oh, a handful, but I bet it's far fewer than are in hospital or dead for driving their car in the wrong place at the wrong time. The walkability index is concerned solely with the ability of residents to reach local services on foot, and thereby manage without a car. As is clearly stated, the walkability index does not factor in personal safety. In any event, while Northbridge does get a tad lively late at night on Fridays and Saturdays, the services we are talking about here - shops, medical facilities, schools and so on - are the kinds of things that one would generally be accessing during daylight hours or early evening. Far from being propaganda, I believe that such an indicator is a positive step forward for property buyers. The benefits of being able to manage without a car are significant - there is less personal impact in terms of costs and stress, and in broader terms it is better for the environment and reduces traffic congestion. As Perth continues to grow, this is something we are going to have to look at much more closely. Our present attachment to our cars is not something that can be sustained in the long run, and we should be seeking out alternatives now before the situation becomes critical.

        Date and time
        June 15, 2013, 12:18PM
      • Attachment to cars is not sustainable in the long term for sure!!! Fuel pricing is Criminal!!!! Northbridge is still a very seedy place after 9pm Friday,Saturday and Sunday. During the day it's fine cause we walk in the light and lots of CCTV where video footage clarity is not a problem.lots of commerce abuzzing in northbridge. Lots of Chinese Yumcha/dim sum joints. Perths growing. As a country, we are diverse and strong. The federal government, just gotta go a better job in screening who we are taking into the country. I feel Aussies are compassionate, but we need desirables here , not the undesirables! Not people that pay money to smugglers that jump the que. also strict migration rule set that if a new migrant commits a serious crime within 5 yrs of entry, the government reserves the right for immediate deportation. Set rules and guildelines. Go learn from the tiny nation called singapore!!!!!

        Date and time
        June 16, 2013, 6:22AM
    • Nice once, but nothing will get me to enter Perth's cesspit called Northbridge again. Disgusting drunken idiots everywhere even at 9pm. Keep it classy, Perth!

      Date and time
      June 14, 2013, 3:30PM
      • The Australian Property Investor magazine people obviously went home not long after the sun set.

        Date and time
        June 14, 2013, 3:50PM
        • It is obvious that whoever did these "walks" around the suburbs did so before 10 Pm at night , quite possibly on a night other then Friday or Saturday night and before all the drunks are out and about. causing grief to everybody.

          Jolimont WA
          Date and time
          June 14, 2013, 11:50PM
          • I'd say, come back when Fringe World is on. Cool, colourful, kitsch, people friendly areas, a vibrant buzz, a friendly vibe that's inclusive for all ages and types. You'll see a good example of what Northbridge can be, and what we should aspire it to be.

            Date and time
            June 16, 2013, 7:04AM

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