Los Angeles: A Transit Metropolis in the Making?

Abstract

The Los Angeles region epitomises polycentric urban form with highly fragmented and devolved governance. For a long time, the region has been cited as an example of urban sprawl. However, its pattern of employment is not really dispersed—as expected in sprawl—but, rather, organised in many decentralised ‘employment centres’. These centres have grown and evolved over a long period. In the emerging urban form, the density gradient has multiple local maxima coincident with the employment centres. The multimodal population density function and the underlying travel demand have gradually changed the way in which people travel, and how we make transportation plans so as to accommodate such traffic demand. We are witnessing a comeback in mass transit, both in initiatives and investment. Movement of people in this car-centric region, although still heavily reliant on its extensive highway network, may well be increasingly undertaken by public transport in the near future. Is the traditional notion that Los Angeles is a low-density, car-orientated city being challenged? A history review, a contemporary analysis, and an examination of the outlook for the future might lead us to an answer.