walking survey

[ waw-king sur-vey ]

noun

1. a systematic inspection of an area on foot in order to assess the state of something in that area, such as housing or infrastructure, or to search for something specific: Compare windshield survey ( def ).

   A walking survey established that many of the sidewalks, parks, and businesses would be difficult for elderly or disabled people to navigate.

   We fanned out and did a walking survey of the dig site, looking for anything of interest on the surface.

Word History and Origins

Origin of walking survey¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

After a few hours of walking survey lines, Schijf and his group of volunteers broke ranks to see if they could find any live tortoises before calling it a day.

From Washington Times

For instance, while National Grid makes walking surveys of the state’s gas distribution network, walking about a third of that network each year, the state is working with the company to see if the walking survey can be done more quickly, and if areas more prone to problems can be checked more often.

From Washington Times

The city enlisted students at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service to develop a walking survey that, if adopted, will rate the city’s age-friendliness by standards like the frequency of cracked sidewalks and hospitals.

From New York Times