Did you know that the city of Philadelphia made Zillow's list of the Top 10 Bike Cities? Although we're a little low on the list at number nine, being toward the bottom can create the perfect situation for renters. The cities at the top of the list -- Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco -- are some of the least affordable rental markets in the nation due to their strict land-use regulations and protected bike lanes. In our opinion, Philly makes for a happy medium.Here are some of the statistics the list reported on the City of Brotherly Love:
- Cyclists per 1K Commuters: 16
- Median Commute Time via Bike: 22 mins
- Miles of Protected Bike Lanes: 0.24
- Mentions of Bike Storage per 1K Rental Listings: 12
Zillow included 50 major cities in the study and found that more than half lacked any protected bike lanes at all. There is also evidence to suggest that some of these cyclist-friendly cities have seen big home value increases in the past year. In addition, cyclists can feel great about reducing the city's carbon footprint. In Philly, we even often bike sharing programs to make bike transportation simple.
If you're wondering which came first -- the cyclists or the bike-friendly amenities-- it's a bit like the chicken and the egg. “It’s hard to say whether bike-friendly cities attract cyclists, or whether cyclists influence their cities to become more bike-friendly. It’s probably a little of both,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. “Bike-friendly amenities – like pet-friendly amenities – in apartments say something about the people who live in the cities on this list. These things often go hand-in-hand with a taste for urban living and an active sensibility.”
For more information, see the full list here.
