Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

In the Twin Cities, Population Still Clustered Where the Streetcar Went

In the Twin Cities, population density still closely tracks history streetcar routes. Image: retrieved via Streets.mn
In the Twin Cities, population density still closely tracks old streetcar routes. Image: Minnesota 2020
false

It's been six decades since the Twin Cities' streetcar era. But as demonstrated by the above map, making the rounds on Twitter, population density in Minneapolis and St. Paul still reflects the region's historic streetcar routes.

Bill Lindeke at Streets.mn considers the implications:

It’s worth remembering that historic 1950 densities in Minneapolis and Saint Paul were far higher than is reflected here. Much of the dense housing was bulldozed, and current household sizes have been shrinking for years.

The map was made by Eliot Altbaum, an intern at regional think tank Minneapolis 2020. "Sixty years after the end of the streetcar network, the housing development that mirrors that network makes clear the connection between transportation and housing development," Altbaum says of the map.

Lindeke says:

To my mind, Eliot is onto something compelling. You cannot separate transportation from land use. You cannot pull apart roads or rail from the kind of buildings we inhabit and the patterns of everyday life that form around them.

The Twin Cities map is a nice complement to Next City's animated GIFs showing the impact of highway building on development in cities like Atlanta.

Elsewhere on the Network today: Kevin Klinkenberg says more than a century ago, planners -- not developers -- had control over the way cities developed. And Systemic Failure shares new and damning research against a rule from the Federal Railroad Administration that has rail advocates worried.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Thursday’s Headlines Lobby Congress

When the Biden administration's infrastructure act expires, it will pit cities versus states and roads versus transit.

September 4, 2025

Why More Communities Are Reconsidering Speed Limits From a Pedestrian’s Perspective

Is America's driver-centered approach to setting speed limits starting to shift? An engineer argues it is, and offers a reminder about why it matters.

September 4, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Put On the Red Light

News stories usually present them as a cash grab, but automated traffic enforcement cameras are widely supported by the public.

September 3, 2025

Instacart Now Claims it ‘Supports’ Worker Minimum Wage That It Fought To Defeat; Experts See ‘Corporate Spin’

The grocery delivery company claims it "supports" a minimum wage for its workers. But that's just "a flat-out lie," said one worker advocate.

September 3, 2025

Op-Ed: Penn. GOP Needs to Take SEPTA Seriously

Does everybody want to fund SEPTA? Well, not the Republicans in the state Senate, our opinion writer says.

September 3, 2025

Workers Remind Philadelphia Pols That Transit Cuts Kill

A top union boss warns that service cuts don't only inconvenience riders.

September 2, 2025
See all posts