Charlotte's light rail system has proven to be a major success in the city, spurring development and igniting the local economy. But as it expands, will the other communities it benefits join in the funding party?
"Back when urban junkies - myself included - dreamed that cities could center around train lines, we railed at the formula-oriented developers who could crank out only cul-de-sacs and subdivisions near the newest highway off-ramp. They ignored the possibility of putting apartment buildings and mixed-used projects beside a trolley line, even if a city could manage to get a rail line built."
"No longer. Now big international companies such as Cherokee Investment Partners, which is involved here in Charlotte, are poised - even eager - to swoop down, buy land and put up pedestrian-friendly businesses and homes around new transit stations. And they're being joined by plenty of competitors."
"Charlotte opened its $465 million, 15-stop, 10-mile "blue line" last November. LYNX, as it is called, has about 13,000 riders daily, well ahead of the low-ball federal projections. Now, the city and region are working on the many other ideas for lines and extensions. A total of 7,000 new condominiums are planned along the line."
"Seeing how successful Charlotte's new line is, I start believing what I first dismissed as hyperbole - that it was revolutionary."
FULL STORY: More than Just a Train
Light Rail Opening Next Year, More Lines Proposed—Transit Debates Keep Finding Charlotte
An extension of the Lynx Blue Line is schedule to open to the public on March 31, 2018. Controversy regarding sales taxes have traditionally followed transit projects in the region.
Charlotte's LYNX Light Rail: Ten Years Later
How has Charlotte evolved ten years since opening the LYNX Blue Line light rail system?
Are Ride-Hailing Services Complementing or Competing with Rail Transit?
A news report on Charlotte's Lynx Blue Line looks at whether ride-hailing services are complementing rail transit by providing vital first mile-last mile service or whether customers are forgoing the transit trip entirely. Ridership has been falling.
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For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
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Savannah Reduces Speed Limits on Almost 100 City Streets
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A Park Reborn: Resilience and Renewal in Fire-Stricken Altadena
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The national government is requiring the short-term rental operator to remove thousands of illegal listings from its site as part of an effort to stem a growing housing crisis.
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