Suburbs Try to Figure Out Transit

Hard as it may be to imagine, many of the original suburbs arose because of transit. "Streetcar suburbs" were built along trolley lines, whisking commuters from downtowns to leafy bedroom communities. Then came the car and, with it, the vast majority of current suburbs. 

Now that younger Americans are not as enamored with cars as they once were, some suburbs are trying to figure out how to embrace transit as those original suburbs once did. Many of the new light rail lines being built across the country, such as those in Denver, Phoenix, and the Washington, D.C., area, are designed to connect suburbs with center cities. In fact, many of these lines are designed to serve a reverse-commute: companies that are located in the suburbs often hire employees who insist on living an urban lifestyle. That's the case in Raleigh-Durham, where a planned light rail line would serve the suburban Research Triangle Park. 

"The growing millennial and boomer preference for working and living in more walkable, urban settings is also transforming the traditional suburban office park. Some office-park owners are planning townhouses, restaurants, shops, walking paths and bike lanes to create a town-center feel, even as these spots remain isolated from major transit stations. In places that are years away from new light-rail or rapid bus lines — if they ever get them — upgrades in traditional bus and shuttle service will be necessary to meet changing lifestyles, business leaders say."