Density Index

Check out this last of America's largest urban areas ranked by weighted density. You'll see that Los Angeles, despite its reputation, is surprisingly dense. Conversely, transit-friendly Portland isn't especially dense (less so than Houston or Dallas or Las Vegas) which goes to show how much smart policy matters -- if all 23 denser-than-Portland cities on the list were as savvy as Portland about bikes, pedestrians, and transit we'd have a much better environmental situation in the country without constructing any new, denser urban areas.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2008/03/density-index/43986/