What your Urban Index scores mean
Urban Index turns an Australian address into four scores (0–100 each), a live map of what's around you, and a report you can share — in a few seconds.
Each score answers a different everyday question, which together assist evaluating important characteristics of the address and describing how it would be to live there.
Try an address · Sample report · Full methodology
Walk Score
This score responds to: “How car-dependent is daily life here?”
Think about the things you reach for in a normal week — groceries, a coffee, a park, the chemist, school drop-off. Walk Score looks at how many of those are genuinely within walking distance from this address, and how practical it is to get there on foot — including distance and how connected the local streets are.
A higher score means more of daily life works without the car. A lower score usually means errands are spread out, or the street layout makes walking less practical — not that the area has nothing to offer.
Walk Score is about access to nearby amenities — not how safe, green, or pleasant the streets feel. See methodology for further details.
Public Transport Score
This score responds to: “How easy is it to get to everyday places by public transport from this address?”
Picture your typical week — getting to work, uni, the shops, or an appointment across town. Public Transport Score looks at how realistic those trips are from here: how far you walk to a stop, how often services run in peak times, how many useful routes you can catch, and how well connected you are to major centres.
A higher score means public transport is a genuine option for everyday life. A lower score usually means longer walks to stops, less frequent service, or fewer places you can reach without changing mode — not that there is no stop nearby at all.
Where official timetables are available, the score uses real service quality. Where they are not, it falls back to how close stops are, and the report says so clearly. This is a general read on service level — not a journey planner for one specific trip. See methodology for further details.
Cycling Score
This score responds to: “How realistic is cycling for everyday trips?”
Think about the trips you might actually ride — to work, the shops, school drop-off, or a café across the suburb. Cycling Score looks at whether those trips are practical from this address: how much usable bike infrastructure is nearby, how well it connects as a network, and how close everyday destinations are.
A higher score means cycling can genuinely share the load with driving or public transport. A lower score usually means patchy lanes or disconnected paths — not that nobody cycles there.
Cycling Score reflects infrastructure and reach — not a safety audit of specific intersections or road conditions. See methodology for further details.
Liveability Index
This score responds to: “Overall, how well does this address support day-to-day living?”
The Liveability Index is the headline read — it brings together walking, cycling, public transport, green space, healthcare, education, and flood safety (where we have data) into one number for the address.
A higher score means more of what matters for everyday life is within reach or well served from here. A lower score usually means one or more dimensions are pulling the number down — for example strong walkability but weak public transport, or good access with elevated flood awareness. The individual pillar scores and breakdown show which.
Use it as the overview, then open Walk, Public Transport, and Cycling for detail. Flood risk is included only where data is available; the report states clearly when it is not.
| Dimension | Weight |
|---|---|
| Active Transport (Walk and Cycling) | 20% |
| Flood Risk (where data available) | 20% |
| Public Transport Score | 15% |
| Green space access | 15% |
| Healthcare access | 15% |
| Education access | 15% |
See methodology for further details.
Accuracy and limits
Urban Index is a data tool for comparison and decision support. Scores are based on automated data from a range of different sources, updated on a rolling basis, not real-time.
Numbers are indicative. They help you compare locations consistently and explain why one place feels different to another. They are not a substitute for professional property, planning, legal, financial, or insurance advice. Verify anything that matters for a binding decision with official sources and your own advisers.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between Walk Score and the Liveability Index? Walk Score answers one question: how car-dependent is daily life here? It looks at whether everyday errands are within practical walking distance from the address.
The Liveability Index answers a broader one: overall, how well does this address support day-to-day living? It brings together active transport (walk and cycling), public transport, green space, healthcare, education, and flood risk where data is available.
An address can score well on Walk Score and lower on Liveability if another dimension — such as public transport or flood risk — is pulling the headline down. Use Walk Score for the walking-and-car-dependence read; use Liveability for the overall picture.
Can scores change over time? Yes. Scores update when the underlying data changes — new shops open, bus routes are adjusted, OpenStreetMap is updated, or the methodology improves. If you're using a score for a decision with a long horizon, re-run it closer to that decision.
What if I'm outside Brisbane? Walk Score, Cycling Score, and Liveability Index work nationally where Google Places and OSM data exist. Public Transport Score falls back to proximity-only outside our GTFS coverage states, and the report notes this. We're expanding our database to bring the same top-level assessment to more cities over time.
What does a score of 50 actually mean? About average for an Australian urban address. Scores below 30 suggest heavy car dependence; scores above 75 suggest genuine car-light viability. The breakdown behind each score tells you specifically what's contributing.