Pry it from my warm live feet

America is built for driving. There’s hidden demand for something better.

44 percent of Americans — approaching half the country! — would rather live where homes are “smaller and closer to each other, but schools, stores and restaurants are within walking distance.”

That’s a lot more than I expected. But I wonder how that’s split between more rural and urban folks.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR), using a sample of 2,000 adults in the 50 largest US metro areas, 59 percent said they prefer “houses with small yards, and it is easy to walk to the places you need to go.” The remaining 41 percent would choose “houses with large yards, and you have to drive to the places where you need to go.”

I definitely am of the camp of wanting our lives to be more walkable. It gives us more opportunities to interact with one another and more chances to feel like a part of a community. Also, it doesn’t cost anything! (looks at gas prices at $6.29/gal right now)