Is L.A. More Crowded Than New York?

In "L.A. the King of Sprawl, Not at All," Robert Bruegmann reports that Los Angeles is one of the densest areas in the country. His article reinforces the notion that L.A. is already a very dense place, but is it true?

1 minute read

September 20, 2006, 1:00 PM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

Three UCLA students investigate the issue, and find:

"While it is true that the urbanized area of Los Angeles has a higher population density than the urbanized area of Los Angeles, our analysis shows that the City of Los Angeles is much less dense than the City of New York. The analysis presented here aids in dismantling the perception that Los Angelesâ€™ density exceeds that of New York and should be the reason for limiting development in the City of Los Angeles. It is disingenuous to compare density figures by "urbanized area," as doing so lacks the necessary apples-toapples comparison quality. Instead, we argue that discussions about density should focus on more reasonably defined urban areas, such as proper city limit boundaries as presented in this paper.

Thanks to Livable Places Email Newsletter

FULL STORY: Is L.A. More Crowded Than New York?

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 in Livable Places

Architecture World

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.