Place-Based Development and Streetcar Transforming Downtown Tucson
Tucson's Sunlink streetcar opened in July 25, linking University of Arizona and its Health Sciences Center to the Fourth Avenue corridor, downtown, and a redevelopment district called Mercado.
Since the "modern streetcar" was announced in 2006, more than $1.5 billion in investment has occurred along its route, including housing, restaurants, offices, and retail, according to the US Department of Transportation.
Similar stories have played out in many cities like Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, and Tampa that have installed streetcars (and taken many other steps that have including planning, infrastructure investments, and tax-increment financing) that resulted in big private investment.
The Mercado District is of particular interest to urbanists, including a new 14-acre neighborhood built of southwest adobe homes with narrow, winding streets.
Topics
- A Famous Former Planning Director and the 'War on Cars'
- The Ancient Roots of New Urbanism
- Nice Try, Sharrows
- Sued for Gentrification
- The Uses Of Urban Theory
- Op-Ed: Downtown Denver's Homogenous Renaissance
- Harvard Housing Report: Housing Market Still Short-Changing Renters, Young Americans
- Light Rail Recommended for the San Fernando Valley
- Friday Funny: A New Hand Signal for Begging Drivers Not to Kill
- San Francisco's Next Mayor a Self-Described 'Pro-Housing' Politician With Support From YIMBYs
- Studies: Drivers Far More Distracted Than Walkers
- Did the Supreme Court End the 'Retail Apocalypse'?
- Maryland Highway Plan Would Destroy Affordable Housing, Displace Low-Income Residents
- Paris Gets What it Wanted: Fewer Cars in the City
- State Politics Threaten New York City Speed Camera Programs, Protests Ensue
- Most Rural Counties Losing Population
- The 'Shale Crescent,' Also Dubbed the 'Plastic Belt,' Removes the Rust
- Proposed Tower Would Redefine Height on the West Coast
- All Systems Car2Go for Pilot Project in Chicago
- A Rooftop Dog Park With a Downtown View
