The True Value of Streetcars in San Antonio

Taken as one element in the interconnected and purposefully interdependent design of the modern urban core, streetcars can play a role in facilitating the increased population densities required to support the amenities of an attractive inner city. An increased density of urban dwellers that will support the population growth expected in San Antonio — a doubling of population from 2010 to 2050 — can’t be accompanied by an increased density of daily-use personal automobiles that maintains a vehicle-to-person ratio suitable to a suburban or rural design. Urban design accommodating growth and increased population density while providing excellent mobility for local daily travel will likely require use of a variety of public transit amenities, chosen for and tailored to the scale of local need, such as the streetcar. In “The True Value of Streetcars in San Antonio,” an article available online through the Rivard Report, Bill Barker explores the drivers for San Antonio’s historic affection for the single-occupancy vehicle to reveal the value of streetcars in our midst. Read More…