If you have the time before moving to an apartment or buying a home in a particular area, consider this using this tactic to incorporate active transportation into your life. Start by getting a map of the city that has bike routes and bus lanes on it, a pencil and a protractor. 

Once you have these things, draw circles on the map around each place you might go over the course of a month. For instance, you might circle where you buy groceries or clothes, or go for coffee, where you work or go to school or where your children go to school. Be sure to include the places you seek entertainment, and the common routes you use for walking or cycling. Once you have circled all these places, have a look to see where most of the circles intersect and consider purchasing or renting your next home in these places. 

By doing this activity, you can move to where you are already doing most of your living thereby reducing your automobile use, and increasing your and your family’s options for active transportation.