Glossary

Location Intelligence Score (Walk Score / Transit Score)

Also known as: Walk Score, Transit Score

A standardized, address-level numeric score — most commonly Walk Score, Transit Score, or Bike Score — measuring pedestrian, public transit, or bicycle accessibility to daily destinations from a given property, widely cited in leasing marketing, appraisal narratives, and multifamily underwriting.

These scores are generated algorithmically from proximity to amenities (grocery stores, restaurants, parks), transit stop density and service frequency, and street network connectivity, producing a 0-100 score that has become a common shorthand reference in listing marketing, broker opinions of value, and multifamily rent growth underwriting narratives, particularly for urban infill and transit-oriented development. Multifamily and office underwriters use location intelligence scores as one supporting input — alongside submarket fundamentals and demographic data — when justifying rent premiums for walkable, transit-accessible locations relative to more auto-dependent comparable properties, since empirical studies have generally found a positive correlation between walkability scores and residential rent and sale price premiums in many markets. The scores are a useful, standardized shorthand but have real limitations as an underwriting input: they measure proximity and density of amenities and transit infrastructure, not the quality, safety, or actual usage of those amenities, so sophisticated underwriters treat them as a directional data point to corroborate, not replace, direct submarket and site-level diligence.