Streetcar Extension = Urban Excellence!

Communities are only as great as the transit that serves them.

There is a special relationship between mass transit and the community it serves. Mass transit connects communities, mobilizes residents and fosters growth and civic pride within the community.

Investments made in transportation are investments made in the community. 

Rendering of CAMLS facility showing streetcar connectivity

The TECO Line Streetcar has been credited with spurring $1.2 billion in development along the streetcar line since 2005.  Development such as the $30 million University of South Florida's Center for Advanced Learning and Simulation (CAMLS), which recently opened just south of the new Whiting Station.

CAMLS' proximity to the streetcar will provide mobility along the line to doctors in town for the facility's research and training innovations. The TECO Line Streetcar has spawned patterned growth and foot traffic (with money to spend) to businesses along the line.

In addition to CAMLS, the extension also provides improved connectivity to a larger number of hotels, restaurants, residents, retail, office and government buildings.

This investment in expanded downtown connectivity was rewarded on Feb. 29., when the TECO Line Streetcar extension to Whiting street was awarded with an "Urban Excellence Award" from the Tampa Downtown Partnership. The Tampa Downtown Partnership is a not-for-profit downtown Tampa business advocacy group.

"Your efforts encourage a more vibrant and connected environment between the cultural, residential and business destinations in Downtown Tampa and Ybor City," remarked the Partnership.

HART officials posing with Urban Excellence Award

About the Urban Excellence Awards

The Downtown Tampa Urban Excellence Awards celebrate businesses, organizations, individuals, events and projects that have made significant contributions toward creating a unique, vibrant and diverse downtown environment – and have made a lasting, positive impact on downtown Tampa. Each year an awards jury representing a cross-section of downtown constituencies selects six (6) award winners honoring the leadership, innovation, hard work, talent and community spirit.

Phase IIa

The original 2.4-mile system opened in 2002 and was built to allow for phased expansion. Phase IIa Streetcar Expansion Project extended service an additional .3 miles into the core downtown Tampa district. Click here to view a map of Phase I and IIa of the TECO Line Streetcar System. 

On Track for the Future

The Urban Land Institute Panel, a non-profit organization of land use experts, lauded the streetcar expansion and encouraged future extensions during their presentation of the September 2011, Tampa Central City Conceptual Development Plan. In keeping with the original visionary approach of the streetcar system, the Phase IIa extension was built to allow for future system expansion. 

Art in Transit

Mass transit has always been about connecting people to their community.  It's through this basic belief, that mass transit and the arts have always shared commonalities.

We recently stumbled upon a blog with some of the most beautiful buildings in Europe and they're not what you might expect (castles, cathedrals, etc.). The Traveling Canucks blog has Europe's Top 10 Most Fascinating Train Stations.

Unlike America, where the car is king, rail rules the road in Europe. These 10 train stations are great examples of art in transit - beautiful architectural wonders that also double as transit hubs and epicenters of hustle and bustle; interaction.

The Federal Transit Administration understands this connection and encourages the inclusion of art in transit facilities by stating,

"The visual quality of the nation’s mass transit systems has a profound impact on transit patrons and the community at large. Good design and art can improve the appearance and safety of a facility, give vibrancy to its public spaces and make patrons feel welcome.”

HART kept this vision in mind with some of our own HART art:

Whiting Station

 

 

















Marion Transit Center

 
































Dick Greco Plaza

We have nowhere near the long history of Europe's fine facilities... but we're painting our own masterpiece, with each stroke a step closer.

Have you been to any of the Top 10 European train stations listed on the blog? Are they as amazing as they photograph?