Is your high-rise a healthy living space?

What makes your high-rise box in the sky a healthier living space? Unless I'm camping at high altitude, I'm not a fan of living where the birds fly, but a whole lot of people call a high-rise home. To be fair, city living is often more conducive to daily walking compared to my soccer mom-suburban sprawl lifestyle.

Don't just examine the space layouts when shopping for a high-rise home, consider the health of the entire building and surrounding area. The Chicago Tribune had fun applying these five criteria -- admittedly unscientific -- to a few of the largest residential towers in Chicago:

• Walkability: Pop in your address at Walk Score to find out how close you reside to walkable destinations such as stores, schools and parks.
• Conservation Efforts: Does your building recycle, use green lighting, rehab with green materials?
• Access to Green Space: If you live across from Central Park, you're golden. Beyond looking out over greenery, you must be near it to reap the physical benefits.
  
• Fitness Facilities: On-site, affordable fitness is critical, especially if nearby green space is filled with hoodlums after dark. Unless you own the penthouse, you probably don't have space for a home gym either.
  
• Healthy Eating Options: If a gas station is the only food source in the area, you're in nutritional danger.
  
  

Wonder how the nearly finished Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago will score.