Urban Studies and Planning Commons^™

Smart Growth In Two Contrastive Metropolitan Areas: A Comparison Between Portland And Los Angeles, Hongwei Dong, Pengyu Zhu

Pengyu Zhu

This study compares urban landscapes in the Portland and Los Angeles metropolitan areas at the neighbourhood level by operationalising six smart growth indices and mapping their spatial distribution patterns and time trends. Analysis results show that the two metropolitan areas have both strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of smart growth. Most neighbourhoods in both regions do not excel in all six smart growth measures: they are at the high ends of some smart growth indices but at the low ends of others. Some smart growth features such as mixed land use and mixed housing are already pervasive in suburban …