Carl Nolte, the San Francisco Chronicle's historian, writes on the 150-year anniversary of the Market St. Railway that began operation as a 2-car steam train on July 4, 1860, and the evolution of rail on/under Market St including BART & Muni Metro.
It began as the first railway on the west coast - steam powered, "dirty, noisy and ultimately a financial flop, but it was the start of something big" in that it began the transition of the corridor into one of the nation's busiest transit routes as homes and businesses began to replace sand dunes.
"By 1867, the steam trains were replaced with a new invention: rail cars drawn by horses. By 1883, the horse-car lines were converted to cable cars, with a cable slot down the middle.
The cables ran on tight headways; by the turn of the 20th century, a cable car was at the Ferry Building at rush hour every 15 seconds, transit historians say."
BART heavy rail opened under Market and Mission Streets in 1973. In 1980, Muni Metro light rail opened in a subway above the BART subway on Market Street. In 1995, the historic "F" streetcar line opened on Market Street itself.
Nolte mixes the history of transit with that of the City, which originally was not centered on Market St. More can be learned at the Market St. Railway Museum which opens a free exhibit on July 15 highlighting the 1860 railway.
Thanks to Leonard Conly
FULL STORY: 150th anniversary of first Market St. rail line

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall
A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work
Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle
Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont