It may be in our competitive nature, but today there is a tendency to rank everything. Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine ranked Pittsburgh as the most livable city in the US. Now Walk Score presents a color-coded map that highlights the neighborhoods of Pittsburgh that score high for walkability.

When we looked at the map for Pittsburgh, we thought walkability might have more to do with the steepness of the terrain, but here is how Walk Score calculates the scores:

• 90–100: Walker’s Paradise — Daily errands do not require a car.
• 70–89: Very Walkable — Most errands can be accomplished on foot.
• 50–69: Somewhat Walkable — Some amenities within walking distance.
• 25–49: Car-Dependent — A few amenities within walking distance.
• 0–24: Car-Dependent — Almost all errands require a car.

The average score for all the neighborhoods in Pittsburgh is 67, but in the paradise class are Downtown (97), Southside (95), North Oakland (93) and Lawrenceville (90). Close to the bottom are Stanton Heights (41) and Glen Hazel (39). Pittsburgh was ranked 9th in Pennsylvania, with the highest average score being for Indiana (80), while Plum (24) and Murrysville (23) are at the bottom. Not surprisingly, neighborhoods in Manhattan, NY scored 100.

More rankings of Pittsburgh below.

If you prefer to bike rather than hike, then you will be pleased to know that according to Bicycling magazine, this year Pittsburgh has climbed its way up to the 28th bike-friendly city in the country, with Minneapolis, Portland, and Boulder at the top. Philadelphia was 27th.

On the downside, when you are huffing and puffing, you might not be pleased with the American Lung Association’s 2010 finding that Pittsburgh was the 3rd worst city in the nation for short-term particle pollution, and 5th worst for year-round particle pollution. Fortunately, we did not make the list of top 25 cities for ozone pollution, perhaps because in 2009 we were only ranked 24th for highway congestion.