Project Studies

North-South Corridor

Planning Beyond the Urban Circulator

Project Studies

  • Affordable Housing

    Develop strategies to preserve and advance affordable housing to further the vision and goals in the 2018 Housing Study and Needs Assessment.

  • Economic Development

    Study trends for employment and land use to forecast how much room there is to grow in the corridor.

  • Business Retention

    Understand the needs of local business owners to help them start up, stay open, and grow with their neighborhoods, with an emphasis on enhancing minority and women owned businesses.

  • Land Use and Zoning

    Study the character of each community to recommend a strategic plan for future transportation, development, and livability.

  • Equitable TOD

    Recommend strategies to reduce displacement associated with development, or gentrification, by managing how and when equitable development and anti-displacement measures are enacted in relationship to zoning and economic development policies.

  • Multimodal Transportation

    Efficiently and equitably plan bike lanes, greenways, sidewalks, and mobility hubs for buses, rideshares, bikes, electric scooters, vehicle charging and parking.

  • Transportation Demand Management

    Identify steps to increase the visibility and usefulness of existing transit services.

  • Streetcar Feasibility

    Create a strategic approach for how to create a blueprint for how to build a streetcar as the transportation option for the urban circulator.

  • Funding

    Identify available funding sources that could help pay for transportation projects, additional transit service hours, affordable housing, and corridor development.

What is an Urban Circulator? 

 

An urban circulator connects different areas of a city with a frequent transit service  to move, or circulate, people through the city. This can be a streetcar, trolley, or bus service with short wait times until the next vehicle arrives. A circulator is sometimes a loop, but it can also be a line or route where vehicles go back and forth. An urban circulator is typically less than 3 miles, and sometimes as short as a ½ mile. Urban circulators connect neighborhoods, encourage economic development, and create walkable, livable communities.

We will take a high-level, strategic look into what it would take to build a streetcar line in the North-South Corridor.

The City and Winston-Salem State University performed a previous streetcar study in 2014. This previous study examined an East-West streetcar linking the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Downtown, and the Innovation Quarter. For information on the City’s previous studies on the urban circulator, visit the Department of Transportation project page.

Our current study is another effort to expand resources and mobility options in central Winston-Salem. It would connect communities in North-South Corridor with jobs, services and educational opportunities.

What is Transit Oriented Development? 

 

It is planning for a sustainable, livable, and walkable community around a major transit system. It makes public transit convenient and easy to access for current and future residents. We are working with community members to envision the future of the corridor for the North-South Urban Circulator beyond a streetcar. We are collaborating on recommendations for improving:

  • transportation

  • affordable housing

  • zoning

  • economic development

  • business retention

  • and equity.

These action steps will propel the City toward realizing the community's vision for the North-South Corridor.

Project Goals

  • Equity

    Reconnect and reinvest in historically redlined neighborhoods. Recommend policies that will protect and strengthen under-represented communities through this development.

  • Community Engagement

    Bring community members to the table to build a shared vision for the future. Facilitate public input opportunities and seek feedback from under-represented communities.