As of the 2000 census, the Los Angeles region’s urbanized area had the highest population density in the nation. Yes, that was the word “highest,” not a smudge on your monitor. At 7,068 people per square mile, Los Angeles is considerably denser than New York-Newark
Eric Morris is busy smashing myths about Los Angeles urbanscape over at the Freakonomics blog.
The Los Angeles City Council has passed an ordinance prohibiting construction of new fast-food restaurants in a 32-square-mile area inhabited by 500,000 low-income people. Most will argue against this ban as a denial of food choice to people who can most afford it. Health risks notwithstanding, I too hadn’t expected the U.S. to pass such a choice-restricting ordinance [source].