4 ms·

Can you name examples where this oft-predicted result has actually happened (in the USA, anyway)? That certainly hasn't been the result in the Bay Area.

yesiamyourdad 9y ago
Denver. Lots of high density developments near the light rail and A line (technically commuter rail) stops.
solipsism 9y ago
Chicago and "El" train stops.
asveikau 9y ago
Bethesda, Maryland. It was very sleepy before it became a metro stop. In the last 30 years it had a crap ton of development mostly centered around the metro. Actually... Can you name a few places in a metro area that didn't experience such a boom after a transit stop was introduced? In the bay area even? I feel like I have only ever seen examples of it being good for retail, restaurants, home values.
- DrScump 9y ago
  Metro considers itself traditional fixed rail, not light rail. a metro area that didn't experience such a boom I was responding to the specific claim "Light rail will create demand to live near and locate businesses near the stations." The point isn't about whether a broad area benefits from rail (vs. no rail at all) but whether adding light rail to a fully built-out environment will drive more dense business development near the added rail and because of the addition of rail. I don't know of any USA data that supports that.
  - asveikau 9y ago
    Ok. I thought you meant transit in general. Take a ride from the Seattle airport to downtown on the light rail sometime, then. You will see a lot of nice looking apartments that didn't used to be there. And you will see some less nice neighborhoods interspersed.
    - doingmything 9y ago
      Columbia City is a perfect example of this
briandear 9y ago
Definitely didn’t happen in Houston. There was a spike of enthusiasm but light rail proximity has almost no effect on property values.
- xapata 9y ago
  Houston is a bit too spread out. Where can you get to on the rail?
- brewdad 9y ago
  Is Houston's light rail actually useful? Last I knew it really only ran from one end of downtown to the other.
stevenbedrick 9y ago
It definitely happened in Portland when they ran the Orange line. We were house-hunting a year or two before the new light rail opened, and realtors showing houses along its route were already starting to make a point of mentioning it. As soon as it actually opened, neighborhoods that could use it suddenly got a lot more desirable (read: expensive).
xapata 9y ago
It's happening in advance of the Beltline transit in Atlanta. The Beltline has been building out park/trail and surrounding neighborhoods are doing very well. The light rail is currently just a promise.
rsynnott 9y ago
This certainly happens very obviously in European cities. It’s possible that it happens less so in the US for cultural reasons, I suppose.

yesiamyourdad 9y ago

Denver. Lots of high density developments near the light rail and A line (technically commuter rail) stops.

solipsism 9y ago

Chicago and "El" train stops.

asveikau 9y ago

Bethesda, Maryland. It was very sleepy before it became a metro stop. In the last 30 years it had a crap ton of development mostly centered around the metro. Actually... Can you name a few places in a metro area that didn't experience such a boom after a transit stop was introduced? In the bay area even? I feel like I have only ever seen examples of it being good for retail, restaurants, home values.

DrScump 9y ago
Metro considers itself traditional fixed rail, not light rail. a metro area that didn't experience such a boom I was responding to the specific claim "Light rail will create demand to live near and locate businesses near the stations." The point isn't about whether a broad area benefits from rail (vs. no rail at all) but whether adding light rail to a fully built-out environment will drive more dense business development near the added rail and because of the addition of rail. I don't know of any USA data that supports that.
- asveikau 9y ago
  Ok. I thought you meant transit in general. Take a ride from the Seattle airport to downtown on the light rail sometime, then. You will see a lot of nice looking apartments that didn't used to be there. And you will see some less nice neighborhoods interspersed.
  - doingmything 9y ago
    Columbia City is a perfect example of this

briandear 9y ago

Definitely didn’t happen in Houston. There was a spike of enthusiasm but light rail proximity has almost no effect on property values.

xapata 9y ago
Houston is a bit too spread out. Where can you get to on the rail?
brewdad 9y ago
Is Houston's light rail actually useful? Last I knew it really only ran from one end of downtown to the other.

stevenbedrick 9y ago

It definitely happened in Portland when they ran the Orange line. We were house-hunting a year or two before the new light rail opened, and realtors showing houses along its route were already starting to make a point of mentioning it. As soon as it actually opened, neighborhoods that could use it suddenly got a lot more desirable (read: expensive).

xapata 9y ago

It's happening in advance of the Beltline transit in Atlanta. The Beltline has been building out park/trail and surrounding neighborhoods are doing very well. The light rail is currently just a promise.

rsynnott 9y ago

This certainly happens very obviously in European cities. It’s possible that it happens less so in the US for cultural reasons, I suppose.