Miami could be the best walking city in the United States, new study says

Miami could be the best 15-minute city in the country, a new study says.

And no, a 15-minute city is not a city in which you desperately think “I have got to get out of here” every 15 minutes. A 15-minute city is a place like Paris, in which everything you need is 15 minutes away on foot (or at least on a bike): jobs, food, healthcare, schools, green spaces, a sense of community, cafecito, croquetas. In other words, in this ideal, you don’t need a car to live your life. In Paris, you never have to see the Palmetto.

Miami is almost exactly like Paris, especially the bucolic paradise of Kendall, so we have to believe this study is true. It comes from analysts at moveBuddha, an online moving site, which evaluated data on commutability, social and physical health, childcare and education, medical health and safety and affordability to determine the best spot to become the true city of the future.

The Magic City beat out places like Seattle (No. 12) and Portland, Oregon (No. 15), environments known for their walkability and sustainable vibe. Miami does not have a sustainable vibe. Miami has an It’s the End of the World As We Know It vibe. And yet.

Miami scored poorly in affordability; apparently $4K a month for a two-bedroom apartment in Downtown Dadeland is considered pricey. Who knew? But it earned points for walkability and biking, proximity to dining and parks and childcare.

We are pretty sure the fine data analysts of moveBuddha have not actually attempted to walk anywhere in 15 minutes in August in Miami. The bleached bones of those who tried are littered from Brickell to Kendall, and that’s not even counting the corpses of those drowned in sudden, violent, summer afternoon thunderstorms. Also nobody in Kendall has ever walked anywhere. But who are we to nitpick?

Here’s what the study had to say:

“Miami may not be the first city you’d suspect as a 15-minute locale,” the study said. [Editor’s note: HAHAHA no, it most certainly is not]. “But thanks to a collection of small urban meccas across the city with pedestrian-friendly designs, the transformation is in full swing. Other efforts include projects like the Underline working to repurpose surfaces under the Metrorail into gardens, walking paths, and open-air gyms.”

MoveBuddha also gave a shout out to startup REEF for “building a network of hyper-local urban hubs to connect local residents to local goods and services in cities across the nation.”

The rest of the top 10 best 15-minute cities in the United States are San Francisco; Pittsburgh; Boston; Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Minneapolis; Long Beach; Oakland; and Cincinnati.

This study ranked the best places to live in Miami. Is your neighborhood on the list?