New Streetcar Architecture

...A century ago, many buildings on commercial streets served by streetcars were built with storefronts flush to the sidewalks and with one or two stories of apartments or offices above.

Today, planners call these structures mixed-use buildings with ground-floor retail, but many historians and architects call them something else: streetcar architecture. Today's versions may be taller and clad with modern materials, but the concept is the same. They add human density and retail services on streets served by public transit...

...Unlike many cities, Portland has used its zoning code to encourage housing-above-retail on commercial arterials since the mid-1980s. "Housing supports the commercial and helps make for a more vibrant street,"... - Oregon Live