In terms of real estate values, walkable neighborhoods have been outperforming suburban-sprawling areas all over the country, and the East Bay is no exception. The Oakland/Berkeley Journal notes "The biggest equity gains in Oakland have happened in walkable areas such as Rockridge and Crocker Highlands" and offers these graphs charting the value of two and three bedroom homes from 2010 through the current quarter of 2013. Some of the desire to walk is attributed to San Francisco transplants, used to close-in city living. "As more buyers migrate to the sunny side of the Bay from San Francisco, a higher demand is placed on a home with an easy walk to coffee, restaurants and public transportation. Lifestyle can often trump home size in importance." Zillow confirms: Rockridge home index values are up 14% year-over-year; in Crocker Highlands, they're up 16.9%.
· Walk This Way: The Economic Promise of Walkable Places... [Brookings Institute]
· The Oakland Berkeley Journal
· Local info for Rockridge, Oakland, CA [Zillow]
· Local info for Crocker Highland, Oakland, CA [Zillow]
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