The Political Environment: Charlotte Offers Light Rail Lessons For Success

Monday, June 28, 2010

Excellent report on how Charlotte got its light rail running, and got it right.

enoughalready said...: I think an excerpt is in order to give a quick summary:

Charlotte is car-loving NASCAR country, a vast suburbia of cul-de-sacs and strip malls. Yet its new light rail line is a national model for success, outstripping ridership projections and inspiring millions of dollars in high-density development. How did sensible transportation planning come to sprawlburbia? Not by appealing for "sustainability," that's for sure. In the end, the winning pitch that sold voters on light rail was none other than Charlotte's love of growth. The development it lured -- several thousand condos and apartments, dozens of new restaurants and stores, and roughly half a billion dollars in private investment -- showed skeptics that light rail is more than just transportation. The city created transit-oriented zoning districts and station area plans, allowing for increased density along the rail line.; June 29, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Anon Jim said...: James I know you Urbanists love your "high-density" development.

Am curious if you practice what you preach, or do you live in a nice single family home in a neighborhood that is very similiar to the suburbs you so despise?; June 29, 2010 at 10:14 PM