Check out this piece from Governing on U.S. cities using streetcars and light rail to help revitalize struggling neighborhoods.

It says light rail, which includes streetcars, is the fastest-growing mode of transit in the country, and has even become more popular than commuter rail.

But it’s the development around the rail systems that has city planners gushing, according to the article.

“They help drive development. They help create a sense of place. They help shape your community… and bring a vitality to your community. It’s a combination of all of those factors,” said Art Guzzetti, vice president for policy for the nonprofit American Public Transportation Association, which advocates for public transportation.

The article also notes how streetcars and light rail aren’t cheap investments.

This is something Honolulu knows all too well. The city is hoping to capitalize on its own $5.26 billion rail project by focusing heavily on transit-oriented development around 21 train stations.

But what makes the city’s plan a little different is that it is for elevated, heavy rail, not streetcars. Still, officials are hoping the benefits are the same.

Photo: Artist rendering of a rail station in East Kapolei. (Courtesy of Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation)

—Nick Grube