{"id":17648,"date":"2010-12-31T05:09:44","date_gmt":"2010-12-31T10:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecolocalizer.com\/?p=17648"},"modified":"2010-12-31T05:09:44","modified_gmt":"2010-12-31T10:09:44","slug":"light-rail-streetcars-becoming-more-popular-transforming-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikocity.com\/light-rail-streetcars-becoming-more-popular-transforming-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Light Rail & Streetcars Becoming More Popular, Transforming Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In my graduate studies in city and regional planning, one thing became very obvious to me: cities, by definition and at their best, are densely-populated places. However, with the rapid rise of automobile use, North American cities have been on a low-density trend. Think about it, big vehicles for every individual require tons of big roads, big parking spaces, etc.<\/p>\n

One key way to increase density<\/strong> is to provide good mass transit that people will use instead of cars. Attractive, modern mass transit that follows a specific, dedicated line (e.g. streetcars and light rail) is actually as much of a development tool as a transportation option. Building such transit lines results in high-density development, especially near the transit stations, which, for many, means a better city and a better quality of life. (Of course, it is also important to coordinate such transportation planning with land use planning, but that is a subject for another day….)<\/p>\n

A recent piece by JJ Sutherland of NPR goes into this topic a bit more, focusing on the increasing number of cities across the U.S. that are going this route (no pun intended).<\/p>\n

Here’s the intro:<\/p>\n

It’s hard to find a city in America that isn’t planning, proposing, studying or actually building a light rail system. Cities as diverse as Dallas, Seattle and Washington, D.C., all see light rail as part of their future \u2014 a way to reshape their development.<\/p>\n

There are 35 light rail systems operating in the U.S. today. At least 13 metro areas are currently building others. Many more are being planned.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most ambitious light rail project in the country is being built in Denver. Downtown, behind Union Station, lies a cityscape that doesn’t quite exist yet.<\/p>\n

Much of the area is empty, fenced off. Construction crews are digging a huge hole in the ground in preparation for some of the final stages of a multiyear transportation project that is already changing the city.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Read the full piece, which covers the Denver experience in a little more detail as well as some of the challenges of implementing such systems and more on the reasons for choosing light rail, here: Light Rail Transforming Cities, Guiding Development<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

One section I like<\/strong>, in particular, focuses on how even people scared of the ‘s’ word (socialism) are getting behind mass transit like light rail:<\/p>\n

Tom Clark, of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, says that when the conversations first began about mass transit, “it sounded a little bit too close to socialism for some of us.” What changed the business community’s mind, he says, were simple economics.<\/p>\n

“We had a worker housing problem. The roads were getting congested enough that workers from the north side could no longer commute by car to the south side. They needed an alternative.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Similar to the light rail rush, streetcars are getting a lot of support in cities around the country<\/strong><\/a> for the same reason, despite very little federal support for this option.<\/p>\n

Eric Jaffe of Infrastructurist writes:<\/p>\n

Federal money for public transit will likely be hard to come by with Republicans now in control of the House. But Yonah Freemark feels optimistic<\/a> about the future of streetcars. Why? Well, several big cities, including Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.,<\/a> continue to develop their lines at pace. And a quartet of other localities announced financial commitments to their own streetcar programs this month:<\/p>\n