Yonah Freemark looks at the plan for a new streetcar line on St. Louis' Loop, and concludes that the project is a valuable addition to the city more for the economic boost it will bring than the increased mobility it will bring.
Freemark finds that the plans, which have received $25 million in funding from the Feds, are limited in scope and "the program isn't - at least at the beginning - ready to support significant increases in the number of vehicles using the line."
That said, Freemark says locals aren't complaining that the main focus is economic development: "...whether transport planners like it or not, these systems are in reality a lot more oriented towards fulfilling economic development goals than providing increased mobility. More transportation of any sort, even if it doesn't seem particularly useful for many people, will encourage investment in new construction or redevelopment."
Read the full story: St. Louis' Loop District Gets Endorsement from Feds with Grant for Streetcar
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