r/geography • u/villehhulkkonen • 1d ago
La is a wasted opportunity Discussion
Imagine if Los Angeles was built like Barcelona. Dense 15 million people metropolis with great public transportation and walkability.
They wasted this perfect climate and perfect place for city by building a endless suburban sprawl.
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u/twila213 1d ago
Barcelona is located on the northeast coast of the Iberian Peninsula, facing the Mediterranean Sea, on a plain approximately 5 km (3 mi) wide limited by the mountain range of Collserola, the Llobregat river to the southwest and the Besòs river to the north.[73] This plain covers an area of 170 km2 (66 sq mi),[73] of which 101 km2 (39.0 sq mi)[74] are occupied by the city itself. It is 120 km (75 mi) south of the Pyrenees and the Catalan border with France.
The city of Los Angeles covers a total area of 502.7 square miles (1,302 km2), comprising 468.7 square miles (1,214 km2) of land and 34.0 square miles (88 km2) of water. The city extends for 44 miles (71 km) from north to south and for 29 miles (47 km) from east to west.
So, 502sq miles vs 66sq miles. Very important to mention that this is just the city of Los Angeles, not the entire Los Angeles-Anaheim-Riverside statistical urban area, which is 2,281 square miles (5,910 km2)
My point being, American cities are not dense because they do not have to be. They developed in areas that do not have the geographical limitations that European cities do, simply because everything, including natural areas of flat land, is bigger in North America. Comparing the two ultimately makes no sense. When you have enough room for everyone to get their own little plot of land, they'll probably be inclined to take it.