Reply #2: LA [View All]

[enid602]

Look to Los Angeles for the answer. In the past 20 years, they have built 700+ miles of heavy rail transport. A few years ago, their notoriously pro-automobile zoning was changed so that developers can build housing/commercial centers WITHOUT parking spaces, as long as they are built within a 1/2 mile radius of the 100+ existing rail stations. These so-called transit-oriented developments (TOD's) are/will be mini downtowns with housing mixed with commercial/recreation venues. Each is linked by rail to other TOD's on the grid, and of course to downtown LA, which has seen a boon in loft and commercial-to-residential conversions. A city that is not known for being anti-growth, LA has proved ripe for this new type of sustainable growth. Maybe the time has come for Americans to look for a less energy-dependent lifestyle.