Back to the streetcar future

In a few short years, 85 percent of residents in Somerville, Massachusetts, will be able to walk to rail transit — up from 15 percent today. The Somerville story, reported in detail in the March 2013 issue of Better! Cities & Towns, is an example of how a city is expanding transit-oriented housing — a need that is felt across the US. Placemaking is a key goal in this transit-oriented development — see the plan above for the Gilman Square station by Jeff Speck and Russell Preston, illustrated by David Carrico. Jobs and housing for educated professionals are shaping the future of Somerville and surrounding cities in the core of the Boston region. Maintaining affordable housing while creating walkable new urban centers is a goal that planners are addressing through policy initiatives. "Complete streets" also play a key role in the development and revitalization of these urban centers.

For more in-depth coverage: 

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• Get the March 2013 issue. Topics: City returns to streetcar roots, market shift to urban lifestyles, sprawl lives, Housing boom for the creative class, Retail prospects, Main Street of the Bronx, Green space for transit-oriented project, Multigenerational housing, Architecture of place, New Orleanse freeway redevelopment