A growing number of US cities are exploring streetcars as a way to revitalize local economies and reduce pollution. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), twenty-three cities have active streetcar systems, and more than half of them are planning extensions. As many as 70 others have considered streetcars of their own. Once considered quaint and out-dated, streetcars are popular again, thanks in part to rising gas prices, growing congestion and the systems’ potential environmental benefits.
On these pages, we track future ideas and innovations for enhancing sustainable lifestyles. In this post, we consider how the old streetcar- in its new 21st century form- might enable simple, sustainable change.
As Saqib Rahim writes for EarthNews, “these lines were sent into oblivion by buses and America’s car culture. But as America’s energy woes and climate problems mount, what goes around comes around. Rising gas prices are driving many motorists out of their cars.”
