From the article:
This is just crazy. I walk quite a bit. We have an ice-cream shop and a few restaurants about a 1/2 mile from our house that we walk to. I also run 2-3 times a week. When I was first married, my wife and I would walk to the grocery store which was at least 3 miles away from our house. I used to complain about this at first but grew to really enjoy it. My wife can be attributed for my love for walking/running now. Had I not met her, I'd likely be driving to the ice cream shop. It also helps to live in a temperate climate. I can see why in Northern Minnesota they may not walk as much as we do here in North Carolina. I have found that walking is a good gauge of compatibility too. People have different paces and different ways of walking. For some it's all about the destination and getting there quickly, for others its about recreation and getting some exercise and for others its about meandering and stopping to "smell the roses". It's always good to walk with someone that has your way of walking. imo.
Carlin Robinson, 12, walks from her grandmother's car to the school bus in Manchester, Ky. Her house can be seen in the background. A study published in 2010, investigating high obesity rates in the town found that residents used cars to minimize walking distance, to the detriment of their health.
Heh, I grew up in Minnesota (though near Minneapolis opposed to the frigid north) and had to walk to middle school every day, though then I drove to high school (I only lived about a 1/3 of a mile from the middle school, and 3 miles from the high school). I don't think it is climate though that effects this. The real difference is a combination of how spread out and suburban the US is along with a lack of a strong public transportation. When someone doesn't own a car they are more likely to walk (the article makes an allusion this with the fact that those who take the train to work walk more than those who drive but doesn't go any further). Because the US lacks strong public transport it makes it harder for people to live without cars so they rely on cars more and more. I've lived the last 6 years in Cleveland and in Washington, DC with another year abroad in London. While I was in London I remember one experience where I wish I had a car (I went to a concert out in the middle of nowhere), but while in Cleveland and DC I have moments probably monthly where I wish I had a car because it takes forever to get somewhere without it.
How spread out things are defiantly has an impact on how much people drive or walk. I live in a place that's pretty spread out and's also very hilly, so it's much easier to get in a car than walk.