University of California Transportation Center

America has a rich history of rail transit investments shaping the form and character of cities and regions. Classic works by Warner (1962), Vance (1964), and Fogelson (1967) chronicled how the extension of electric streetcar lines around the turn-of-the-century led to massive decentralization and the emergence of "streetcar suburbs" in Boston, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Southern California. Many east coast cities today stand as testaments to rail transit's city-shaping abilities.