A Desire Named Streetcar
The last streetcar being burned. Source:http://www.mpls.lib.mn.us/history/tr3.asp |
A Streetcar in Minneapolis? |
|
As the Minneapolis metropolitan area continues to grow, congestion on the highways will continue to be a problem. Mass transportation is seen as a solution to this growing concern. The last Minneapolis streetcar was decommissioned in 1954 to make room for the automobile, however, we are now looking back to the streetcar for answers to our growing congestion problems.
This presentation intends to inform the viewers of the current issues surrounding the streetcar, and the policies and management issues affecting it. Selection of Readings These readings should give you an overview of the streetcar proposal in Minneapolis and in other cities. Please read the following linked articles, then proceed to the discussion questions. A Desire Named Streetcar: Minneapolis' New Streetcar Ambitions Minneapolis Streetcar Feasibility Study: Executive Summary A Desire Named Streetcar A Desire Named Streetcar: How Federal Subsidies Encourage Wasteful Local Transit Systems Back to the Future
Are street cars a good option for Minneapolis? Is it justifiable to spend millions of dollars on a new mass transit system with the current condition of the Minneapolis infrastructure? What would be the ideal way to build a new transit system? Will it be easier or more difficult to build a streetcar system now compared to the first time it was built? Do streetcars compatible with current land use patterns?
|