San Francisco is one of those cities. While other cities lament that no street cars native to their region survived the era of the automobile, many of the cars running today in the city by the bay knew the streets when the Golden Gate Bridge was new and street cars were king. Like many other cities looking to build or expand street car systems or connect tourist attractions with light rail, San Francisco is using street cars, some a century old, to connect tourist destinations as well as shuttle commuters and office workers. An example is the F-Line, which currently runs from the famous Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street to the Castro, a residential and commercial area. The line has been rebuilt and reinvigorated with brightly-painted cars carrying the monikers of fabled street car lines throughout the United States.
Plans are in place to extend the line, possibly making a giant loop around the city.
With frequent stops, the street cars make walking practical. They keep riders at surface level where they can window shop, wander and keep an eye on the sidewalk. The busy streets discourage criminal activity as well as provide customers for retailers. Furthermore, the fixed nature of street car routes supplies a permanent stream of pedestrians that can't be taken away by changing a bus schedule. When you put down rails through a neighborhood, you indicate you intend to stay there.