The relationship between streetcar, housing, and streetcar ridership

Interesting study released today by Portland Streetcar:

Along Portland’s streetcar route, each new housing unit adds a regular streetcar rider

Portland, Ore. – Portland Streetcar released brand new data Thursday on the relationship between housing development and streetcar ridership, offering insight into future demand for streetcar systems around the country.

In a study of housing construction and streetcar ridership over the past 15 years, ECONorthwest found that each new housing unit built along the streetcar corridor has added one new regular streetcar rider. With over 17,000 housing units built along the corridor since 2001 and another 8,000 in the pipeline in just the next two years, that adds up to a lot of riders. To accommodate increasing demand, Portland Streetcar is developing plans to add vehicles and expand the system to reach new areas of the city.

This new data adds to the growing body evidence that shows streetcars support city and regional goals for both increasing mobility options and improving economic opportunity.

More detail about the data, including a PDF containing a chart and infographics, is available at https://storage.googleapis.com/streetcar/files/Portland-Streetcar-A-Tool-for-Better-Cities.pdf

More information about Portland Streetcar’s ridership and economic impact can be found at http://portlandstreetcar.org/about-us/planning-reports