In order to address the topic of the future of public transportation, we are looking at the BQX streetcar line as one such possible future. The BQX line has been proposed by the DeBlasio administration as a convenient public-transportation option along the Brooklyn-Queens waterfront which currently is a public-transportation “desert”. We are addressing this topic by first looking into the history of streetcars and public transportation in New York. Next, we will compare the proposed project with contemporary implementations of streetcar/light-rail systems. In order to keep our heads out of the clouds, we are conducting some community outreach to assess the local opinions of the project. Finally, we will collect all of this research into a white-paper and a public engagement piece.

New York has a rich history with both public transportation and streetcars in particular. A current focus of our historical research are the neighborhoods that the proposed line will go through and how their history has been affected by public policy. We see that the neighborhoods were historically heavily industrial and the waterfront largely dealing in cargo and trade.  After a steep decline in the industrial sector and a growing need for residential and commercial space these areas have been the focus of much public and private interest. One of the first public transportation methods in these areas was Fulton’s Ferry opening in 1814. The ferry and many following public-transportation projects often led to rapid development in the surrounding neighborhoods. We are conducting further research into the role of public policy on these areas with a focus on specific zoning policies of the government.

Concurrently, New York City, as a whole, saw many changes in public transportation methods. Horse drawn streetcars were one of the first public modes of transportation. After the development of steam engines, horses were quickly replaced for their more reliable and less temperamental mechanical counterpart. Streetcars continued to rapidly evolve in New York until GM, Firestone, and Standard Oil colluded to eliminate streetcars in favor of cars and busses. Interestingly, this collusion was deemed criminal and the companies had to pay a fine – but the streetcars were never revitalized. This part of our research is mostly complete because we are focusing instead on the particular Brooklyn-Queens neighborhoods.

The next major aspect of our project is a comparison of contemporary streetcar/light-rail system that could analyzed in order to look at lessons learned and what may be most beneficial to the BQX implementation. We have begun researching various aspects of American transportation in the book, World Transport Policy and Practice. The relevant chapter focuses on Portland, Oregon and Vancouver. Which has given us insight how cities have focused their public transportation projects in order to address problems such as improving or maintaining access to employment and “maximizing efficiency in overall resource utilization” while also keeping the environment in mind.

The main part of our contemporary comparison will focus on streetcar systems in Washington DC, Hoboken New Jersey, and Baltimore Maryland. The Washington DC system was recently constructed and has encountered many hurdles that may serve to inform the development of the BQX line. We will be looking into the specifics of the problems encountered and look at how these lessons may apply to the proposed line.

The Hoboken system is a light rail line that goes from Bayonne to North Bergen and has a daily ridership of over fifty-thousand passengers. It has been expanded multiple times due to its popularity and success. Initial research indicates that there has been much growth in areas surrounding the rail line including both residential and commercial development. Further research will be conducted in order to confirm this and look into the motivations that led to the line’s development because it was part of a push to revitalize the surrounding area as well as provide more efficient transportation.

We have collected some preliminary research on the streetcar system in Baltimore in order to form a proper historical context. Baltimore incorporated streetcars into its public transportation well after New York, but it was one of the first cities to experiment with electricity for its public streetcars. Streetcars in Baltimore have a similar history to those in New York (popular until there was a shift of attention to cars/buses) but currently the city seems to be going through an identity crisis when it comes to whether they should have a streetcar or a light rail system. We will proceed with research that looks closer at the current state of streetcars in Baltimore and what funding, incentives, or subsidies that they may have provided for their development.

We have been in connection with our community contact, Julia Kite at Transportation Alternatives, and have been discussing their opinions and concerns relating to the BQX line. We will continue to stay in contact with Julia as we further develop the narrative of our project. We have also begun to survey public opinions about the BQX line in order to gain as much community knowledge as possible.

We are currently still working on researching our assigned topics and gathering community information. Over the next two weeks we will continue this research and complete drafts of what we have found in order to put together a draft on April 4. This will be the bulk portion of the white paper that we will be writing. We also need to begin working on our community engagement piece. We were originally planning on producing a brochure but we may instead opt to make a website that outlines our research in a creative manner.

The group has been functioning very well. We are able to complete various assignments efficiently, with all members contributing. This has all been done without specifically assigning roles and sections of each assignment to be completed. Our main method of communication is email which has been very effective. Email communication has been complemented by the use of google drive in order to coordinate research and collaborate on particular assignments. As of now, there are no current issues with the current group dynamic.