MW01 Tucson’s Sun Link Modern Streetcar: Development with Local Flavor

Travel scenic Tucson by streetcar, sampling along the way some of the unique flavors that made it the first city in the U.S. designated a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. Get the backstory on the building of the 3.9-mile electric Sun Link Modern Streetcar, including a tour of the LEED Silver Streetcar Maintenance Facility and the streetcar vehicles. Also learn the secrets to the streetcar’s success: key destinations along the route and the economic development impacts from investments in infill along and near the route. Some of the oldest buildings in Tucson are adjacent to the streetcar, conveying Tucson’s rich history and varied architecture. Local developers and city staff will detail the rich fabric of contemporary infill and historically preserved buildings, followed by a discussion with local practitioners and community members about affordable housing, infill development, economic development and tools for community protection from development pressures, such as community benefit agreements and local wealth building strategies.