Streetcars in the Twin Cities
Streetcar systems were ubiquitous at the turn of the last century and are uniquely suited now to serve all the high-density development underway in downtowns across the U.S. They're much cheaper than light rail, are hugely successful in promoting development and street life, and fit easily into built environments with little disruption to existing businesses, residents, and traffic. They can provide high-quality transit service to support compact, walkable, higher-density development in small and mid-sized cities that can't afford bigger rail systems – offering the potential to significantly increase the constituency for transit in the U.S.
Moreover, they are proving powerful magnets for real estate development. The magnitude of attraction was measured by a 2005 study of the Portland streetcar that showed that prior to 1997 (when the alignment was announced) buildings were constructed at 30 percent of allowable density on land where the line would be built, whereas after 1997 buildings were constructed at much higher densities – from 90 percent of FAR along the streetcar to 75 percent one block away and 40 percent at three blocks and further away.
In December 2010, the City of Minneapolis received an Alternatives Analysis Planning Grant from the Federal Transit Administration that will be used to evaluate the potential for a new streetcar line to be built on Nicollet and Central Avenues. These were identified as the best corridors to start implementing the long term vision for a streetcar network in the 2007 Minneapolis Streetcar Feasibility Study.
Visit the City of Minneapolis's streetcar planning webpage here for more information on the Alternatives Analysis Planning process and to read the Feasibility Study.
Other Streetcar Resources:
- As part of the TOD Toolkit, CTOD created a powerpoint and related pdf handout that give an overview of the history of streetcars in the Twin Cities and how new investments might create TOD opportunities while enhancing the transit network. Download PPT or View Slideshow here. Download related PDF here.