Light Train in other Cities

Regardless of what you think about High-Speed Rail, about light train, etc. in Milwaukee, this is an interesting look at what other cities are doing to build light train and to use it as an engine for further development.

There are very few major metropolitan areas in the country that aren't considering the installation of some sort of light rail system," says Robert Puentes, a transportation expert at the Brookings Institution. He stresses that the car is still king, but says politicians, businessmen and developers are looking to light rail to help guide development.

It's not just real estate development, but also employment and future economic drivers that have cities concerned:

More and more civic leaders across the country are talking about how cities need to become magnets for talent in order to become truly world-class cities. Many of those leaders see light rail as part of that transformation.


Puentes, of Brookings, says that American cities now have to compete globally.

"They're going to have to be able to attract young, qualified workers, and it's going to take a robust transportation system to move these folks around. In case after case, we're seeing that that is what these folks are looking for."