Place-Making or Place-Taking? The Relationship between Goal Tension and System Performance of U.S. Modern-Era Streetcar Systems

Over the past decade, over $1 billion of public funding has been dedicated toward developing streetcar systems in the United States. Most systems in operation today are underperforming. I explore factors that may contribute toward poor system performance by examining the experiences of several U.S. modern-era streetcar systems. Focus is placed on the tension generated between often conflicting goals which drive system development. I find that a failure to adequately balance conflicting goals shapes planning and policy decisions in a manner that often supports a streetcar’s place-making capability while compromising its place-taking capability (i.e., the ability to take people places).