State & Local Government Policy, Business and Technology

Streetcars Play an Expanding Role in Downtown Revivals

Government Technology: New apartments, shops and the headquarters for First Orion, a phone management software company, will all be sprouting up in North Little Rock, Ark. This city of over 62,300 just across the Arkansas River from downtown Little Rock is seeing the sort of urban regeneration cities across the country have been experiencing, thanks in large part to its streetcar line.

Residents — both young and old — are opting for downtown living, while developers are rehabbing older buildings and getting approval to build new mixed-use developments because cities are making big bets on streetcars for downtown transit. New lines have opened, or are in development, in 21 cities across the country, according to the Community Streetcar Coalition.

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