Phila. only 13th for walkability, study says

In a ranking of 30 U.S. cities for walkability, Philadelphia placed in the middle of the pack - 13th.

Washington came in first as the most walkable community.

The study was conducted by the Washington D.C.-based Brookings Institution.

Boston placed second, and rounding out the top five were San Francisco, Denver and Portland. Tampa came in last, at No. 30.

Trenton was not included.

Christopher B. Leinberger, a real estate developer and visiting fellow at Brookings, set out to quantify the walkability trend by counting the number of "regional-serving walkable urban places" in each of the 30 biggest metropolitan areas in the country. "Regional-serving" means the area has jobs, retail or cultural institutions that attract people who don't live there.

Leinberger, who teaches urban planning at the University of Michigan, counted 157 walkable places in "Footloose and Fancy Free: A Field Survey of Walkable Urban Places in the Top 30 U.S. Metropolitan Areas," including Boston's Beacon Hill and Miami's Coconut Grove.

Leinberger listed Philadelphia's University City area as being among the easiest areas in town in which to get around.