Which American cities are safe, walkable, have cycle paths and good public transport at the same time?

34 comments

1. Damn I think none. The “good public transport” part takes out just about everybody… 🤔

2. DC is pretty good in that respect, though a lot of people like to exaggerate the crime problem to score political points

3. Despite its reputation and despite the fact that crime has risen recently, NYC is a very safe place. It’s extremely walkable, has more and more cycle paths, and has basically great public transit.

4. I can’t think of a single American city that meets all that. If you take out the “safe” part, there are a few.

5. Boston, NYC, Seattle, Portland, DC, Chicago, San Fransisco.. there’s others.

   Most crime in these cities are contained in certain neighborhoods that are easily avoidable as a transplant or tourist. I’ve lived in Boston for almost a decade and never been a victim of any crime (that I’m aware of). For the most part, these places are easy to get around and attractive places to live & work.

   There’s also a lot smaller cities like Boulder, Madison or State College that fit the bill too.

6. NYC’s bicycle infrastructure, while improving, still leaves something to be desired (it’s not terrible, not fantastic), but it hits your other points.

7. There’s plenty of parts of American cities that are like this. Its tough to find a city that meets this criteria 100% in all, especially since our cities tend to be large in terms of area.

   You can visit downtown Indianapolis and definitely not use a car. The Cultural Trail connects various downtown and near-downtown neighborhoods. Most of it is divided into two parts, one for people on bikes and one for people walking. There’s one BRT line that goes through downtown connecting neighborhoods to the north and to the south, with one being constructed and another in the planning phase. The Monon serves downtown Indy and goes nearly 30 miles north into cornfields. Indianapolis is also mostly safe to very safe, though if you listen to some of the suburbanites you’d think Indianapolis is basically Fallujah.

   Going north into Carmel, almost all of the roads have a multi-use path alongside it, and the Monon goes through Carmel as well. Carmel’s downtown part of the Monon even separates bikes and walkers, adds some play areas as well as a public plaza.

   Many college towns would likely fit this criteria.

   The US is generally a very safe country, unless you’re planning to commit crimes or you get into a domestic situation

8. America is safer than people say it is. But most cities aren’t walkable unless you already live downtown

9. “Safe” is a problem word here. Any city with these kinds of systems is going to have bad areas or neighborhoods, but for the most part, the cities overall are safe. The “stories” you hear and are probably wondering if you will experience will be in these small pockets or neighborhoods that are out of the way most people go to…places you really would have no reason to go to in the first place.

10. NYC.

11. Most cities aren’t dangerous as a whole to live in. New York and Chicago fit your bill quite well overall

12. Safe or walkable. Pick one.

13. None have all. I know of a nice walkable, safe, cycle but no public transportation in Seaside, Florida.

14. Boston has sufficient public transport and is probably the most walkable city in the US. You can comfortably see all the important Boston sites within a single walking trip.

15. NYC, DC, Seattle, Chicago. Maybe SF. Parts of LA.

16. None, try Europe.

17. None.

    After traveling abroad I learned that we Americans don’t know what feeling safe actually feels like. All the advice you’ll hear is “watch your back/surroundings”.

18. Generally speaking, your best bet for getting both “safe” and “walkable” is to live on or near a major college/university campus.

19. Almost every town in Utah from Ogden to Spanish Fork

20. Most towns that have large universities fit this description. Madison, Eugene, Ann Arbor, Bloomington, etc.

21. Very few Western cities, but most of the major cities in the “Eastern Seaboard” from Washington DC to Boston fit this criteria, at least somewhat.

    Remember that crime has dropped pretty consistently since the 1980’s or so. Violent crime and theft is much less of an issue than it has been in the past. Homelessness is up recently, and crime is a little bit up in the last two years, and even those are usually localized – most of these two issues occur in particular areas which can be avoided.

    Western cities tended to grow after WWII in the 1950’s – 1990’s, and so they were more likely to be designed with suburbs that make cars needed, and they are bicycle unfriendly. Spread out suburbs also make public transportation harder – compare distances between cities west and east of the Mississippi, and you’ll see why the USA doesn’t have long-distance passenger rail, though we have a really productive cargo rail system.

22. Boston, Boston, Boston

23. It’s a smaller city for sure, but Madison, WI. We’re very bike-friendly, decently pedestrian-friendly, have low crime, and have a decent bus system. There’s room for improvement with public transportation to be sure, but it could be much worse!

24. Detroit

25. If you’re talking about living there, there are none. NYC is the closest.

    If you’re talking about being a tourist, lots of places, NYC, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, DC, SF, etc. and even LA all fit that bill. There really aren’t any unsafe cities where you’d have all those tourist-like perks in the areas of the cities where you’d be doing those things.

26. I’ll throw a vote in for Minneapolis.

    Rated 4th for best cycling cities (despite the climate!)

    [https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/bicycling/](https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/bicycling/)

    Downtown is walkable, even in the winter, because of the skyway system and its pedestrian mall. Downtown Target gets you most of your essentials; corner markets exist, and there’s a grocery store downtown too.

    It’s safe.

    There’s pretty good public transit. Maybe not Chicago or NYC good, but right up there with major metro areas. When we lived there (15 years ago!) my wife took the bus to work/school, I walked to work from my downtown apartment, and 3/4th of our entertainment stuff we walked to. We had a car to visit friends in the suburbs and to go big box shopping, but you could get along just fine without one. (Winter does suck, though.)

27. NYC is great on all 4

    Chi is walkable, good transit, and safe (as long as you don’t venture too far south or west). Dk about cycle paths

    SanFran is walkable, good transit, relatively safe (in terms of violent crime) but doesn’t seem to have a big bike culture (correct if i’m wrong).

    Minneapolis has okay transit, is decently walkable in the main areas, and is one of the best cycling cities in the US

28. Albuquerque has nice cycle paths but the public transport needs work granted the bus is currently free as part of a pilot program.

    I wish we could get some walkable neighborhoods.

    Sadly safety has really taken some serious steps back recently

29. Boulder

30. If any of those are needed please avoid Atlanta, Georgia. Otherwise, it’s a great city : )

31. My city of San Francisco fits that description.

    It’s also 20C to 24C all year round with zero rainy days in the summer and some of the most beautiful beaches, mountains, and fields within an hour outside the city.

    Also, it’s close to 40% Asian, so as an Asian-American, I feel totally at home and surrounded by great Asian food. I love living here.

32. Basically none. Find a smaller town in a more rural area

33. Sacramento, CA.

34. Chicago, New York City, parts or New Orleans, San Francisco… Hmmm Charleston?

    I mean. Safe means different things to different folks. I’ve walked around the above solo and felt fine. Wouldn’t at night. As long as you don’t leave high traffic areas you are probably fine.