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<\/a>Downtown Kansas City streetcars operate on a loop with a series of permanent stops.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For a form of public transportation that Kansas City and the rest of the Midwest said farewell to by 1960, that\u2019s a tall order. But the federal government has favored streetcars. In 2009, the Obama administration set aside $280 million for urban circulator projects as part of its Livability Initiative<\/a>. The main goal: to produce livable communities \u2014 places with healthy food sources, mixed-income communities, a clean urban environment, and a comfortable streetscape.<\/p>\n Diverse transit options are key to that initiative, too. For the last 50 years, the American dream included a family car, maybe two, and a garage to park in. That thinking led to a long-standing love affair with the personal automobile \u2014 and, by default, the clogged freeways and suburban sprawl to go with it. Buses connecting the suburbs with downtown areas reduced some traffic. But buses are losing their appeal. Last year, the Chicago Transit Authority reported<\/a> an 8 percent decline in bus ridership. In Milwaukee, Bus ridership declined by 1.13 percent in 2014.<\/a><\/p>\n But the decline of one familiar mode is making room for another.<\/p>\n According to the American Public Transportation Association<\/a>, in 2014, 16 out of 28 public transit systems reported increases in light rail ridership (i.e., streetcars and trolleys). Minneapolis saw a 57.4 percent increase in light rail passengers with the opening of its METRO Green Line. But while cities love to call attention to these numbers, they want streetcars to do more. \u201cStreetcars are exciting. They really contribute to a sense of place, which cities are often looking for,\u201d says Jane Rongerude, assistant professor at Iowa State University\u2019s department of community and regional planning. \u201cThey want to distinguish themselves from other cities.\u201d<\/p>\n Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Cincinnati are just a few places where streetcar systems are under construction or in the works. Bringing streetcars back to these areas means a better connection between downtown amenities, providing that sense of place. In Kansas City, streetcars mean the central business district won\u2019t seem so detached from the Crossroads Art District and the Power & Light District. Riders can now easily access grocery stores, banks, restaurants, and theaters in one short trip.<\/p>\n \u201cConnecting residents who are already downtown with those amenities is really the way to make this a very livable neighborhood and to grow that residential base,\u201d says Tom Gerend, executive director at Kansas City Streetcar Authority.<\/p>\n Kansas City\u2019s Singleton Yard, located in Columbus Park, serves as its streetcar maintenance facility.<\/p><\/div> Although the streetcar has its perks, cities looking to increase their transit options may not make them their first choice. Expanding existing bus systems and installing monorail systems are also viable options. When it comes to cost, though, streetcars beat monorails hands down. Streetcars cost a pretty penny \u2014 almost $124 million in Milwaukee<\/a>. But monorail systems often cost more and involve more complicated construction. \u201cFor downtown [Kansas City], the streetcar was the right mode,\u201d Gerend says. \u201cIt had the space. It allowed for the right locations and the right connectivity. This wasn\u2019t about moving folks 30 miles to get to a job; it was about connecting those assets together.\u201d<\/p>\n Rather than beating out buses altogether, streetcars supplement them. The two systems work in tandem \u2014 streetcars for shorter trips within the downtown area, buses for longer journeys outside city limits. \u201cMost of our urban transit corridors are well served by bus service, and we\u2019d like to see improvements in bus service,\u201d says Anna Flintoft, project manager for Minneapolis\u2019 Nicollet-Central Modern Streetcar<\/a>. \u201cBut there are a few key corridors we think need that higher level of investment, and Nicollet-Central Corridor is one of those corridors. It runs through the heart of downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the biggest selling points of modern streetcars is their ability to spur urban revitalization. Streetcar lines connect a city\u2019s pockets of activity, making it desirable for businesses and individuals to pop up along the route. Take, for example, Portland\u2019s streetcar system<\/a>, the first modern streetcar system in North America, which loaded its first passengers in 2001. Proximity to the streetcar line transformed the city\u2019s Pearl District<\/a> from a contaminated rail yard to a thriving community. Portland\u2019s 2008 development report<\/a> noted that areas and properties located closest to the streetcar line experienced the most development. For Portland, putting in a streetcar system resulted in $3.5 billion in investments and 10,212 new housing units within two blocks of the line. All since it identified a streetcar alignment in 1997.<\/p>\n The streetcars for both Kansas City and Cincinnati were ordered from CAF USA, Inc. The blueprint shows the layout of one of the streetcars.<\/p><\/div> Streetcars and other forms of rail transportation may even boost property values. Researchers<\/a> at California State University \u2013 Fullerton determined that light rail transit boosted residential property values 2 to 18 percent in Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Clara. Cities undertaking streetcar projects hope to recreate this effect, and many of them are already seeing new growth. \u201cIn that upper area of the streetcar route, we\u2019re seeing new businesses go in,\u201d says Chris Eilerman, project manager for the Cincinnati Streetcar<\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing new residents come in, and I think that\u2019s only going to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n But while city officials involved in these projects love to say that streetcars lead to economic development, streetcars \u2014 at least in the 21st century \u2014 are young. And other city planners have been hesitant to attribute a city\u2019s growth spurts to streetcars or light rails alone.<\/p>\nA New Kind of Connection<\/h3>\n
![\"Kansas](\"http:\/\/urban-plains.com\/2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/2-8.jpg\")
<\/a>Growth Spurt<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/urban-plains.com\/2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/3-5.jpg\")
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![\"Singleton](\"http:\/\/urban-plains.com\/2016\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/4-6.jpg\")
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