One of the best — or worst — experiences in North America can be going to see a ball or hockey game, concert, or other special event at a sports arena or stadium. Perhaps you want to make a day of it, taking in the city, going for a meal or drinks first and meeting up with friends or family. Or maybe you want just to park in a lot hours before game time and have a cookout.
But the trip to and from that venue can make or break the experience. Does it involve hours in gridlock? Does it mean a long line in the outdoors for a shuttle bus? Or can it mean a short walk to a transit stop and quickly getting on your way?
Last summer, I got to see the Toronto Blue Jays play at Target Field in Downtown Minneapolis. The Jays have a Canada-wide fan base, and the Twin Cities have the closest baseball venue to places like Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, and even Regina and Saskatchewan. It felt like a home game with a very pro-Toronto crowd.
Earlier that day, I noticed plenty of people wearing Jays hats and jerseys that were making the most of their road trip. They flooded local restaurants and bars. They checked out museums and the city’s signature parks. The Mall of America, at the other end of the Metro Blue Line LRT, was also full of Canadians. Minneapolis has a lively downtown, with very good bus and rail connections to the airport, the malls, St. Paul, and elsewhere.
Walkability and transit access are the key fostering a great fan experience, for promoting safe, accessible, and sustainable travel to and from the venue, and for supporting local businesses. Though economists and urban experts will — rightly — dispute the economic benefits of subsidizing new sports stadiums, if they must be built, they should allow spectators to get around without a car as much as possible to reduce congestion, curtail impaired driving, and create a vibrant urban environment that everyone can enjoy.
I used Redfin’s Walk Score tool to rank the venues of six major leagues in Canada and the United States: the CFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL, and NFL; I also comment on their transit connections. Toronto’s three venues do very well, as do NBA/NHL venues in major cities like New York, Washington, and Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, football stadiums — especially NFL venues — do poorly.
See the complete map and analysis on my ArcGIS StoryMap.
Sean Marshall 