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Los Angeles practically already is distributed clusters! That's what makes is unusual compared to most cities, that there is a Downtown LA, but it is merely one

Los Angeles practically already is distributed clusters! That's what makes is unusual compared to most cities, that there is a Downtown LA, but it is merely one of many clusters of economic activity, each with their own downtown area. And they are reasonably well-connected, certainly by freeways (which are not grid-based), but increasingly so by mass transit; LA had a deservingly bad reputation for mass transit in the past, but it has made unimaginably large strides forward. On top of that, the bus system is vast and fills in the gaps where rail does not go.

dredmorbius 5y ago
I've seen it said (Robert A. Heinline mentions this amongst others, I believe in Expanded Universe) that the LA basin was considered a sufficiently distributed population in the event of a nuclear war. How much such considerations weighed in to Cold War urban planning in the US I'm not sure.
- refurb 5y ago
  As the prior reply mentions, much of LA was already established - at least as small towns - prior to 1930. I can’t see how nuclear war could have influenced it. What is unique about LA is the water rights. To get access, those small towns had to agree to get incorporated within greater LA.
  - dredmorbius 5y ago
    Right. Point being that other developing new cities (particularly in the south/sunbelt, think, say, Phoenix, DFW, and Atlanta, which grew tremendously from the 1960s to the present (air conditioning had a huge effect). Or any attempts to make LA more centralised or rationalised in terms of transporation.
Talanes 5y ago
My last experience with LA transit was finding a very convenient train to go over and hang out in Santa Monica for a day of that trip, and then having to spend way too much on an Uber back because the trains stopped surprisingly early.
- kuang_eleven 5y ago
  Strange, the Expo line usually runs quite late, unless you are drinking until last call. Generally, I think across all LA Metro train lines, they stop running 1am-4am.

dredmorbius 5y ago

I've seen it said (Robert A. Heinline mentions this amongst others, I believe in Expanded Universe) that the LA basin was considered a sufficiently distributed population in the event of a nuclear war. How much such considerations weighed in to Cold War urban planning in the US I'm not sure.

refurb 5y ago
As the prior reply mentions, much of LA was already established - at least as small towns - prior to 1930. I can’t see how nuclear war could have influenced it. What is unique about LA is the water rights. To get access, those small towns had to agree to get incorporated within greater LA.
- dredmorbius 5y ago
  Right. Point being that other developing new cities (particularly in the south/sunbelt, think, say, Phoenix, DFW, and Atlanta, which grew tremendously from the 1960s to the present (air conditioning had a huge effect). Or any attempts to make LA more centralised or rationalised in terms of transporation.

Talanes 5y ago

My last experience with LA transit was finding a very convenient train to go over and hang out in Santa Monica for a day of that trip, and then having to spend way too much on an Uber back because the trains stopped surprisingly early.

kuang_eleven 5y ago
Strange, the Expo line usually runs quite late, unless you are drinking until last call. Generally, I think across all LA Metro train lines, they stop running 1am-4am.