Indiana University Press has good materials for transit oriented reading and research.
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/ (http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/)
"The Federal Role in Urban Mass Transit"
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"Mass Motorization and Mass Transit, An American History & Policy Analysis"
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"Social Change and Sustainable Transport"
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Let's add one more.
STREET SMART,
QuoteBy increasing mobility as “pedestrian accelerators,†streetcars have dramatically enhanced pedestrian activity and led to significant expansion in retail activity. Whereas the Pearl District was once isolated from Portland’s bustling Downtown and region-wide transportation system, the Portland Streetcar created a strong connection and dramatically increased pedestrian traffic for the district. Michael Powell, owner of Powell’s books, illustrated this transformation by counting pedestrian traffic before and after the streetcar was built in front of his shop: in 2001, Powell counted an average of only three pedestrians per hour, while in 2008, Powell counted 938/hr.[xi]
The development of the Pearl District as a retail destination mirrors the dramatic increase in pedestrian traffic which the Portland Streetcar helped to initiate. In 2001, when the Portland Streetcar first opened, the entire Pearl District had less than ten retail shops. By 2008, this number had burgeoned to over 400, 90% of which were independent and locally owned.[xii] The majority of these shops line 10th and 11th Streets along the Portland Streetcar. People from across the Portland region flock to the Pearl District for its unique shopping experienceâ€"one that is unlike any other in the region.
Over the past decade, streetcars in Portland and Seattle have proven themselves as a tool of economic development by stimulating new residential and commercial construction, generating new jobs, and creating new retail destinations. While numerous factors affect economic development beyond simply constructing a streetcar, the evidence in Portland and Seattle suggests a strong relationship between streetcars and economic development.
SOURCE: http://www.oaklandstreetcarplan.com/1/post/2010/10/streetcars-and-economic-development1.html
Want More? READ STREET SMART!
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January 13, 2011 | Edited by Gloria Ohland and Shelley Poticha
More News & Resources: national, Reconnecting America, reports, Savannah, Seattle, Streetcar
On Sale Now for $10
The second edition of "Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century," our popular award-winning book on how to plan, finance and build streetcar systems contains an update on the status of the U.S. streetcar movement and case studies of new streetcars in Seattle and Savannah. There's a foreword by U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio, chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and updated contact info for every streetcar project planned or underway in the U.S. This richly illustrated book is intended to promote a learning network among the cities and transit agencies that are interested in building new systems, with or without federal funding.
The book is available from Reconnecting America for $10 each. For orders of 20 or more copies, please contact Crystal Henle.
http://www.reconnectingamerica.org/resource-center/books-and-reports/2011/street-smart/
"Urban Transportation Planning in the United States: History, Policy, and Practice"
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"Public Transit Planning and Operation: Theory, Modeling and Practice"
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"Taking the High Road: A Metropolitan Agenda for Transportation Reform"
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