The city streets may be frozen but Toronto remains a pedestrian’s paradise.

WalkScore, a Seattle-based mobile app company, ranked Toronto the second most walkable city in Canada in a recent survey. (See below for charts.)

Toronto is sandwiched below Vancouver in first place and above Montreal. Toronto’s performance was dragged down by sprawling GTA neighbourhoods like Scarborough, according to WalkScore CEO Josh Herst.

The ratings were tabulated by the app, which generates a score out of 100 based on the proximity of amenities like grocery stores, cafes and libraries. To achieve a city-wide score, the data was calculated by applying the score of each block then factoring in population density.

The three inner-city districts that ranked highest are the Bay Street corridor, Church-Wellesley Village and Kensington Market.

Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, whose ward includes two of the above, is pleased by the results.

“I think it’s good to be able to benchmark how we’re performing against other urban centres,” she said.

“The walkability and desirability of a neighbourhood are linked,” said Wong-Tam. “And if it’s not walkable then it won’t make people feel as safe and if you don’t have people on the streets, chances are your economic viability is low.”

New research by the Toronto Board of Health also shows that people who live in pedestrian friendly neighbourhoods weigh less and are more engaged in their communities.

The data also shows we have less in common with the Big Apple than we believe. With a score of 71.4, Toronto ranks in the vicinity of cities like Seattle and Washington D.C., while New York City ranks far higher with an overall score of 85.3.

WalkScore is an app aimed to help home hunters find the best neighbourhood to settle into, with features that estimate commute times and real estate listings in addition to ranking the walkability factor.

Map: Top neighbourhoods

Walk Score published a list of all the North American neighbourhoods that scored 90 or more. Fifteen Toronto neighbourhoods made the list.