University of California Transportation Center

Proponents of rail-based housing contend that besides the obvious transportation benefits of having more people residing near transit stops, a number of other second-level benefits would accrue as well: increases in affordable housing, more choices on where to live and how to travel, increased mobility for transportation-disadvantaged groups, and the creation of a village environment where people from all walks of life come into daily contact with each other, similar to America's streetcar cities at the turn of the century. For the most part, these second-level benefits could be expected to accrue to specific subpopulations: young families in search of affordable housing; people who are tired of traffic snarls and want to live near transit to ease their commute; the elderly and the poor who have limited access to autos; and perhaps even recent immigrants anxious to assimilate into American culture and looking for a multicultural neighborhood near transit in which to do so.