Where L.A. goes, so goes the U.S.A.? (Los Angeles: homeless, bicycles)

[hsw]

SiliconValley is home of most of world's smartest/wealthiest engineers and most relevant tech cos....

NYC/Greenwich are home to most of world's smartest/wealthiest hedge fund and other financiers....

LA, along w/NYC, is home to world's wealthiest media/entertainment industry guys....

LA's model of urban growth is quintessentially American....decentralized suburban offices nr where many employees prefer to reside; commute to office in own safe, convenient, clean, private car....nearly every other urban region in US, except NYC, follows this model....anyone middle class or above can easily drive everywhere....

NYC region is US' closest version of Europe w/a lower std of living than rest of US....where many affluent people (even w/7-fig paychks) typically commute 60-90min each-way (door-to-door) via unsafe, sweaty, smelly mass transit and face inclement weather much of yr....

Efficiency of decentralized growth works on many levels....people can live in suburban homes nearer suburban offices, as opposed to some distant, downtown office....those who have more moderate incomes can move to much cheaper, lower-tax regions like Dallas/Hou/Atl, etc if can't afford high-cost regions like NYC/SF/LA....efficient capitalism and mobility.....

[Jaymum]

Originally Posted by hsw

SiliconValley is home of most of world's smartest/wealthiest engineers and most relevant tech cos....

NYC/Greenwich are home to most of world's smartest/wealthiest hedge fund and other financiers....

LA, along w/NYC, is home to world's wealthiest media/entertainment industry guys....

LA's model of urban growth is quintessentially American....decentralized suburban offices nr where many employees prefer to reside; commute to office in own safe, convenient, clean, private car....nearly every other urban region in US, except NYC, follows this model....anyone middle class or above can easily drive everywhere....

NYC region is US' closest version of Europe w/a lower std of living than rest of US....where many affluent people (even w/7-fig paychks) typically commute 60-90min each-way (door-to-door) via unsafe, sweaty, smelly mass transit and face inclement weather much of yr....

Efficiency of decentralized growth works on many levels....people can live in suburban homes nearer suburban offices, as opposed to some distant, downtown office....those who have more moderate incomes can move to much cheaper, lower-tax regions like Dallas/Hou/Atl, etc if can't afford high-cost regions like NYC/SF/LA....efficient capitalism and mobility.....

Although I appreciate and even love NYC and its own style of getting things done, I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the efficiency of LA's decentrilization. LA and southern California in general make it easier to achieve the lifestyle that most Americans want. It'll be interesting to see how dense LA gets in the next couple decades though, becuase there are tons of people who are willing to move there (myself included!). My best guess- it will always be more suburban than NYC- its polar opposite- becuase NYC will continue to grow as well. Cheers though, I think your analysis is spot-on!

[joebaldknobber]

A Bentonville, Arkansas news story said homes have slowed in NW Arkansas due to the slow home sales in California, reason being the incredible thousands of Californians moving into Bentonville.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by the one

ok, you had me till the "rotting core of LA" part. nice passive attack. slightly veiled, but real slimy.

where the hell is LA rotting?

what core do you speak of?

anyhow, yes LA will ocntinue to Thrive...
well LA and its cast of supporting actors AKA culver city, santa monica, beverly hills, burbank, etc etc.

L.A. is clearly showing the downside of the American system. Traffic, smog, cultural depravity, porn, violence, etc. L.A. is on the leading edge for all of these things. But it's also a testing ground for many phenomena that later spread throughout all of America--good and bad.

So is L.A. a beacon of ingenuity leading the U.S. to the promised land, or is it dragging us down into the cesspool? I tend to think it's some combination of both. Or it was. It seems the world is starting to pay less attention to L.A. and that it's influence may have peaked already. L.A. will always be hugely important, but it seems to be less so than it was twenty, or even fifteen years ago. It could easily peak again, however. New York, London, and other cities on the world stage have peaks and valleys in their influence and power. Los Angeles is certainly on the same stage as these cities, and probably always will be.

[happ]

Originally Posted by Jaymum

Although I appreciate and even love NYC and its own style of getting things done, I think you hit the nail on the head when it comes to the efficiency of LA's decentrilization. LA and southern California in general make it easier to achieve the lifestyle that most Americans want. It'll be interesting to see how dense LA gets in the next couple decades though, becuase there are tons of people who are willing to move there (myself included!). My best guess- it will always be more suburban than NYC- its polar opposite- becuase NYC will continue to grow as well. Cheers though, I think your analysis is spot-on!

The impracticality of this model is the increasing inability to travel about [millions of people w/ millions of car mean gridlock]. Living in Los Angeles means settling into your own area & carefully planning commutes elsewhere. I live comfortably in the metro area bordering on downtown LA\ Glendale\ Pasadena. All areas are easily accessible by surface streets [and light rail between downtown & Pasadena]. Now, if I want to drive out to Santa Monica\ beach it requires checking out the freeway conditions & knowing fully well it could take over an hour [15 miles distance]. That is the reality here

[BRinSM]

back to the original question, i think much of what happens in LA follows suit throughout the country. look at the current immigration numbers. LA is the home of the latin immigrant movement (although Miami runs a close second). you can go anywhere in the country at this point now and find latin immigrants. the funny thing about this is that LA isn't even a border town, but still has the largest latin population in the US. I once read that there are only two cities in the world with more Mexicans than LA, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Pretty wild. Anyways, as the latin immigrant population grows and proliferates as the latin-americans, we will see their influence across the country much like we have in LA in the last 30-40 years. similar to what happened back east when the Irish and Italians began immigrating to the US in droves.

[happ]

Lookout
It seems the world is starting to pay less attention to L.A. and that it's influence may have peaked already

Can you be more specific? I've lived here during the period you speak of & can't recall things being any different culturally. It seems the recognition of talent is as strong as ever. What award show for music/film/authors is held outside LA? Live television [reality\ talent shows] is recent [5 yrs] so to speak & is all comes out of LA [w/ exception of some NYC shows [news\ politics]. Many athletes live\ train in LA for access to sports facilities & climate. Being the largest city in California makes LA quite noticeable, wouldn't you say?

[happ]

Originally Posted by BRinSM

back to the original question, i think much of what happens in LA follows suit throughout the country. look at the current immigration numbers. LA is the home of the latin immigrant movement (although Miami runs a close second). you can go anywhere in the country at this point now and find latin immigrants. the funny thing about this is that LA isn't even a border town, but still has the largest latin population in the US. I once read that there are only two cities in the world with more Mexicans than LA, Guadalajara and Mexico City. Pretty wild. Anyways, as the latin immigrant population grows and proliferates as the latin-americans, we will see their influence across the country much like we have in LA in the last 30-40 years. similar to what happened back east when the Irish and Italians began immigrating to the US in droves.

Good point. I was raised in the San Joaquin\ Sacramento valleys - farm towns w/ cannery's & groves. The Latin culture was quite strong [mayors & large Catholic presence] & that was nearly 50 yrs ago. And, of-course LA is governed by Latinos [city council\ mayor\ state & national offices]. I think it is a very good combination. There is wealth & there is poverty. Our city taxes are slightly under 10% [is that high btw?

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Los Angeles is responsible for so much of the innovation of 20th century America, but has kind of wandered into a malaise in recent decades. Fast food, auto-oriented suburbanization, celebrity culture, and the entertainment industry all came out of Los Angeles incubators, along with a lot of other 20th century innovation in business and technology.

Can Los Angeles remain a leader in this regard, or is it now too late? Has Los Angeles peaked in influence and power? Has the center of American innovation shifted to back to the East Coast, Silicon Valley, or elsewhere? Or is it now decentralized in multiple nodes across the nation? Does the rotting core of Los Angeles represent the rotting core of America to some degree?

Fast food and celebrity culture are a waste of space. They provide nothing positive, just cellulitic a**es, and selfish, indignant giant-sunglass-wearing suburban soccer moms, who behave as if they're celebrities, yet haven't attained status worthy of special dispensation.

Often these traits share the same host individual, now that I think of it...

As far as technology and business, the Bay Area is a lot more of a driving force. For business, the drivers are still in the east, with pockets in the Pacific Northwest and Midwest, primarily in and around Chicagoland, and what's left of the Rust Belt.

[BRinSM]

Originally Posted by 43north87west

indignant giant-sunglass-wearing suburban soccer moms, who behave as if they're celebrities, yet haven't attained status worthy of special dispensation.

wow! somebody has a chipper on their shoulder.