Saturday, April 05, 2008

Back to reality

The most frequent questions that I get from reporters concern whether the downtowns are "coming back", whether transit-oriented development (and transit use) are in our future, etc.

The hype and the wishful thinking have overcome many. That's just the way it is. Many who should know better also believe that localities can meaningfully confront "climate change", end the "addiction" to fossil fuel, command the tides, etc. The LA City Council has even adopted a 40-hour moratorium on violence in honor of the anniversary of MLK's death.

Back to reality. Wendell Cox has just published the data on metro growth since 2000. Over ninety percent has been in the suburbs. Here are the data.