Lansdale, a Montgomery County borough of about 16,000, exists because of the railroad.

When the North Penn Railroad was laying tracks from the city to the Lehigh Valley, Doylestown insisted on a spur, and that junction opened in 1856 in what today is Lansdale, writes Jason Laughlin at philly.com.

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The Black Reserve Bookstore, about a block from Lansdale’s century-old train station,  and a new  181-unit apartment and retail complex being built by Delaware County developer Equus Capital Partners next to the Regional Rail stop hint at a new Lansdale in the making, but  but the train station remains a key asset.

“We’ve learned into who we are, which is a transportation hub, or a transportation center,” said Mayor Garry Herbert Jr., who sees transit-oriented development as the borough’s future.

He said the developments — high density, often mixed-use projects within walking distance of a transportation hub — are designed to draw newly married couples or new parents who aren’t interested in living in the city but still want some urban elements, including walkability and easy travel to Philadelphia’s attractions. Transit access, ideally, uncouples people from car ownership and reduces traffic congestion and pollution.

To read the full story, click here.

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