The experience of rebuilding a streetcar line in New Orleans and the subsequent neighborhood growth that followed offers lessons to other cities considering streetcar plans, according to this piece from Architect Magazine.
"The New Orleans experience also helps answer a common question among transit planners and cash-strapped municipalities: Why streetcars? Why not just expand bus routes? They're cheaper, more flexible to route, and far quicker to implement.
The short answer: because where streetcars go, people follow. People simply like streetcars better than buses-studies suggest that ridership typically increases by about one-third when streetcars replace a bus route. They're smooth. There's less lurching. And there's less uncertainty about where they end up."
Other cities are already looking to New Orleans as a model for streetcar development.
FULL STORY: A Desire Named Streetcar
New Orleans Uses AI To Improve Traffic Safety
A new platform uses technology to improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of collisions with streetcars.
Speeding Up Trips on the Canal Street Streetcar in New Orleans
Big changes are in store for one of the busiest transit lines in New Orleans.
Criticisms Emerge for New Orleans' Biggest Post-Katrina Streetcar Projects
Advocates have reason to be concerned about the performance of the two newest streetcar lines in New Orleans—both the largest transit projects after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge
Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.
San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.
Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research