Building Communities With Transit
As everyone is well aware – especially friends visiting from out of town – San Francisco is hilly. The steep hills limited the growth of the City during the early days. The main mode of transportation was literal horse power and very few streets were paved in the city. This led to the majority of the population settling down in south of Market Street area; whereas, the only people who were able to settle in the hills were the wealthy who were able to afford vehicles to carry everything they need up the steep grades. The Cable Car and electric streetcars were introduced which revolutionized transportation in San Francisco. Areas believed to be completely unattainable by the average citizen, were now available and encouraged the City’s growth over or under the hills and out to the sands of Ocean Beach.
Technology helped San Francisco overcome limits to the City expansion. Speculators, planners, and engineers would soon capitalize on these improvements and build the City into what we see today. In 1918, construction of the Twin Peaks tunnel was completed and linked the western and eastern neighborhoods by rail. Fernando Nelson, the man responsible for much of the development now known as “West Portal” (see video below), saw the value of this rail line and began developments along the rail lines that were being built in the Sunset to capitalize on the real estate boom.
Transit has been a motivator for redeveloping the City’s landscape and can also be a valuable investment in community. A study conducted by Jeffrey M. Casello and Clarence Woudsma of the University of Waterloo, illustrated the impact of transit on land use following the introduction of a new bus and subway services in a developing communities around Ontario, Canada. The study followed the property values of communities along an express bus route and subway line. All of the properties were calculated and assessed against a control region and proximity to the systems. The analysis found that property values along both the express bus and subway line saw increases compared to areas without transit investment. More importantly the greatest gains on property value were found adjacent to rail. From the study, both transit systems helped increase property value and develop their respective communities. Yet, why was the rail system more impactful? It boils down to permanence. Casello and Woudsma concluded that people as a whole are more attracted to something that is permanent which creates perceived value. Many studies have proven this trend within the transit community and major cities have taken notice. The investment in rail lines in communities is more than just a psychological factor but is a basis for community investment as well.
Check out this amazing film footage!
Twins Peaks Tunnel Construction and Opening, 1917.
Courtesy of the Prelinger Archive
For more amazing heritage films of San Francisco, check out the Prelinger Archive at Archive.org.
