The 3.3-mile M-1 Rail line in Detroit has been described as a boondoggle of unparalleled proportions. Boosters of the project, however, have gathering evidence of investment in neighborhoods along the route.
"M-1 Rail may be a year away from ferrying passengers from downtown to Midtown, but housing developments already are popping up along the Woodward Avenue route," reports Louis Aguilar. According to that line of thinking, the housing developments could be "an early sign the streetcar service could play a major role in eradicating blight along the 3.3-mile line."
As for the long-term returns expected from the investment in the M-1 system, "[w]ithin 10 years, its supporters contend, the M-1 Rail will drive $3 billion in development and 10,000 housing units, filling the yawning gaps of dead buildings and empty lots along Detroit’s most storied street." Moreover, more than a dozen buildings have changed ownership in the neighborhood of Milwaukee Junction—a sign of investors anticipating the M-1 Rail's arrival.
The article also provides details on three of the ten housing plans currently in the works along the route.
FULL STORY: M-1 Rail helps get Woodward developments rolling
Seattle to Build Housing Alongside Light Rail
Seattle is going beyond transit oriented development by building apartments on parcels of land near stations.
Two Studies Show How Light Rail Benefits Houston
Finally, the city seems to be reaping benefits from a major investment in public transportation.
Ridership Drops As Detroit's QLine Streetcar Starts Charging
Since Detroit's new streetcar system started charging, ridership has dropped. Those who are riding aren't necessarily paying anyways.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association