Cities across the country are looking to cash in on the same kind of dramatic commercial and housing development experienced by Portland, OR after its streetcar system was introduced a few years ago. Billions of dollars of development and thousands of jobs are waiting to be had, so cities hungry to accelerate their revitalizations are hopping aboard the national streetcar movement.
According to excerpts from the story:
In Portland, Ore., and nearly a dozen other American cities, the whine of electric streetcar motors is fast becoming a symbol of a thriving city center.
Dallas opened a 2.8-mile line in 1989, and since then eight cities have built new streetcar lines, including Memphis, Little Rock, San Francisco and Tampa, all serving growing numbers of riders using restored cars or replicas.
Miami, Columbus, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Missoula, Grand Rapids and some 70 other American cities are studying the feasibility of opening lines, according to Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit transit research group in Oakland, Calif.
Read the complete story here.
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