Public Transportation and Urban Sprawl

Public Transportation and Urban Sprawl in Los Angeles

Would you believe me if I told you Los Angeles once had one of the best public transportation systems in the country? Would you even care? Since before the time I learned to drive this subject has been very important to me. In spite of everything that I love about the Greater Los Angeles Area, the multitude of cultures, the diversity in cuisine, and the gorgeous nature found so close by, one thing lies at the crux of my frustration towards my city's way of life, and that is the car.

I have been fortunate enough to visit a few countries throughout my life. These travels have allowed me to see a multitude of cities. From the sprawling decentralized nature of Berlin and Lima to centralized cities such as London, Prague, and Amsterdam, the unique layout of each city creates an environment for varying lifestyles. Lifestyles which can, for better or worse, shape the identity of a city.  Understanding how cities got their shape (layout) is largely relative to the era in which they developed. For most cities founded before the automobile became commonplace, a city's shape and size was dependent on its geographic location, proximity to resources, and most relevant to this blog, the commute of its inhabitants. Since walking was the preferred mode of transportation in the past, given you weren't able to afford a horse or carriage, people tended to live close to their work. This necessity of proximity lent itself to provide dense, and relatively small, population centers. In spite of the health concerns created in the past and in underdeveloped regions of the modern world. Cities where the means exist to build transportation infrastructure, should. Los Angeles, can find much benefit in urban density and public transportation. Public transportation has the power to connect a city in a way that is leagues more efficient than freeways. Public transportation also has the power to contain a city and limit the destruction of the surrounding natural areas.

All of this brings us to Los Angeles, which, as stated above, used to have a world-class public transportation system in the early 20th Century. This rail network, colloquially known as the "Red Car" was created by Pacific Electric Railway Company. To get a scope of the Red Car's reach please examine the image below.

Now compare the above image to the LA Metro's modern transit system.

Granted, many projects are currently in the works, but the current plans will suffice to provide Angelenos with only a fraction of what Pacific Electric did.

So why did such an extensive system go by the wayside? Well, the obvious happened. Angelenos adopted the automobile with a fervor. The freedom granted by being able to drive anywhere at any time and not be restricted by the Red Car's schedule was ideal for many Angelenos at the time. This was before the negative effects of pollution and highway congestion were known.

Ultimately, I feel Angelenos need to embrace public transportation in their daily lives. Many don't because it is simply inconvenient. The underdeveloped public transport infrastructure of modern Los Angeles makes the idea of taking the bus or train seem silly. And trust me, I understand that. Who would want to wait 30 minutes for a bus that may or may not come? With no real-time updates for many irregular routes, I certainly wouldn't. Who is going to commute from North Hollywood to Pershing Square when their own home is 5-10 miles from the nearest stop. This is precisely why it is imperative that we expand our rail systems. Public transport lends itself to denser living environments. Denser living environments result in people not needing cars. People not needing cars leads us to have cleaner air, less social isolation, and closer, more tight-knit communities. In many of the cities that I've seen abroad, I was taken by the ease and efficiency of movement in many of these cities. The people I've met abroad seemed to thrive in the convenience of their public transportation systems. Things and places were closer together and easier to get to. As a foreigner in those cities, I often felt I saw more community and warmth amongst them than I usually do in Los Angeles. I feel that in LA we are too cold with one another, and so many feelings of community are lost due to the sheer distances we keep from one another. Our freeways cut and divide neighborhoods, creating harsh, barren, and noisy barricades that prevent and dissuade contact. To accommodate for the staggering number of cars we build parking lots the size of whole city blocks! Just imagine if that space was a park, or a plaza, or something with at least a little personality, a little humanity. Additionally, I feel sitting in traffic dehumanizes our daily lives. It is troubling to me that we often see other drivers as obstructions rather than people going about their day. This is something I assume we've all been guilty of at some point. And, I don't think that's necessarily our fault, but rather our knee jerk reaction to the situations we find ourselves in. I feel those situations wouldn't exist as much if we simply didn't have to travel so far on a daily basis.

By eliminating the need for daily car use, we, in turn, help get rid of the mechanism by which urban sprawl occurs. Imagine, no more multi-hour traffic-laden commutes on a daily basis when you could just sit in a train cab. On top of that the total urbanized area of Southern California is ridiculous in my opinion, and completely wasteful. We don't need to have 80 miles of uninterrupted urban landscape from Culver City to Redlands, but unfortunately, we do. The car has allowed that to happen. But don't get me wrong, believe it or not, I love to drive. I love the autonomy that driving brings. As a tool of convenience, the car is unmatched; but, as a tool of utility, we as a city should really be taking the Metro into consideration. You might ask, "But Andrew what about Berlin and Lima? You said those cities were sprawling and decentralized too, how do you feel about them?" Well, I loved both of those cities, and for many reasons, they reminded me of LA. I feel Berlin is like LA if LA took public transport seriously whereas I feel Lima is LA if LA did nothing at all about it. And not to discredit Lima's pluses, it's a wonderful place that in many ways, has the warmth I feel LA lacks. It's just not as fortunate as LA, given its massive economy.

So to conclude, if you're reading this, consider taking the bus more, consider taking the train more, and try walking places. The amount of personality and humanity that we can absorb on a daily basis when we’re not isolated in our cars is surprising and reassuring. Support public transportation endeavors by local officials. A more efficiently interconnected and dense city prevents the need for urban sprawl and subsequent destruction of our natural areas. 



Gálvez Ruiz, D., Diaz Cuevas, P., Braçe, O. et al. Developing an Index to Measure Sub-municipal   Level Urban Sprawl. Soc Indic Res 140, 929–952 (2018). https://doi-   org.mimas.calstatela.edu/10.1007/s11205-017-1801-3

Sheehan, Michael F. “Land Speculation in Southern California: The Roles of Railroads, Trolley Lines and Autos.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 41, no. 2, 1982, pp. 197–197., doi:10.1111/j.1536-7150.1982.tb03173.x.