Sydney · Urban Centre
How much of daily life sits within a walk of home — a transparent 0–10 walkability score and the everyday destinations you can reach on foot: shops, public transport, schools, parks and health services, plus the streets and terrain in between.
Better access to health services is the biggest challenge in Sydney, though it remains very walkable overall. Most residents can reach a wide range of shops and parks on foot, with 88.4% of homes falling within a 15-minute-city walkshed.
All urban centre areas, 2021. The marker is Sydney — very walkable of areas.
| Sydney | 7.6 |
|---|---|
| 2165, NSW | 7.4 |
| New South Wales | 6.2 |
Share of homes (G-NAF addresses) in Sydney by walking time to the nearest amenity of each type, on an elevation-aware pedestrian network. How we calculate this →
The overall walkability score and how much of daily life is a short walk away.
The area is rated as very walkable with a score of 7.6, which is a little above the New South Wales figure of 6.2. On average, residents have access to 7 different types of amenities within a 15-minute walk.
7.6
Very walkable of urban centre areas.
A 0–10 score for how much of daily life sits within an easy walk of the average home — weighing how close groceries, public transport, cafés, parks, health services, schools, culture and everyday services are, and how many of each. Walking times are measured on an elevation-aware pedestrian network, so hills count against reach. The methodology page describes how the score is put together.
7.0
Higher than 91% of urban centre areas.
How many of the eight everyday amenity types — groceries, food & drink, health, schools, parks, culture, everyday services and public transport — the average home can reach on foot within 15 minutes, out of 8.
88.4%
Higher than 80% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes that can reach at least five of the eight everyday amenity types within a 15-minute walk — the "15-minute city" test. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
How many homes can walk to groceries, transport, schools, parks and health services.
Almost every home is within a short stroll of a park (98.7%) or public transport (97.8%), both far above state levels. While 92.4% can walk to a school and 84.6% to groceries, health services are the hardest to reach, with 73.3% of homes within a 15-minute walk.
84.6%
Higher than 75% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of groceries or everyday shopping. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
97.8%
Higher than 97% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 10-minute walk of a public-transport stop — bus, train, tram or ferry. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
92.4%
Higher than 81% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a school. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
98.7%
Higher than 78% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of a park or area of open space. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
73.3%
Higher than 77% of urban centre areas.
Share of local homes within a 15-minute walk of health services such as a GP, pharmacy or hospital. Homes are counted as addresses (G-NAF), not people.
Amenity density, how well the streets connect, and how hilly the walk is.
The terrain slope is about the same as the state average at 7.0%. There are 156 intersections per square kilometre, while the number of walkable amenities per 1,000 residents is a little below the New South Wales figure.
12.9
Lower than 67% of urban centre areas.
Walkable amenities — shops, cafés, parks, health services, schools, cultural and community places, everyday services and public-transport stops — per 1,000 residents. Measures how much is around, apart from how far it is to walk there.
156
Higher than 99% of urban centre areas.
Walkable street intersections per square kilometre. Denser, better-connected street grids give more direct routes on foot than winding, cul-de-sac layouts.
7.0%
Higher than 77% of urban centre areas.
Average terrain slope across the area, as a percent grade. Steeper ground shortens how far people will walk; it is already folded into the walkability score through the elevation-aware pedestrian network, and is shown here on its own for context.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). Walkability in Sydney [Census of Population and Housing]. CensusAtlas, used under CC BY 4.0. https://censusatlas.au/region/ucl/UCL101001/sydney/topic/walkability
