Which Way, L.A.?
Population Growth in Los Angeles and around the World
How is LA expanding to accommodate growing populations? Also, the ghost in Barney's Beanery. On our rebroadcast of To the Point, can Planet Earth handle seven billion people?
By Warren Olney • • 1h 0m ListenFrom Asia and South Asia to South America and parts of Africa, megacities are expanding to accommodate growing populations. Where does the LA region fit into that picture? Years of spectacular growth produced expectations of a dense, urban environment. Plans were made accordingly, and they’re still being carried out. Is it really turning out that way or is this still an essentially suburban region of single-family housing and long-distance commuting? Also, a Los Angeles ghost story. On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, can Planet Earth handle seven billion people?
Banner image: View of the downtown Los Angeles skyline, as seen from Mulholland Boulevard. Photo by cmurtaugh
In this episode
3 storiesIs LA Still a Fast-Growing World City?
In the years after World War II, Los Angeles' population growth was spectacular. During 20 years as Mayor, Tom Bradley envisioned what he called a "World Class City" with skyscrapers, subways, new schools and parks to accommodate a population that would live increasingly in multi-family housing in much denser neighborhoods than it was famous for.
Read the story20 minThe Ghost in Barney's Beanery
We can't do a Halloween show without a ghost story, and we take you now to Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood, a restaurant that's been on Santa Monica Boulevard for almost 91 years. That's long enough for a history of strange experiences, right up to the present day.
Read the story6 minCan Planet Earth Handle Seven Billion People?
The United Nations says the world's population will reach seven billion sometime today, although the US Census Bureau says it'll happen sometime in March. Regardless of the date, there are some reasons for optimism as well as predictions of doom and gloom. We hear some of both -- from the US, China, India and sub-Saharan Africa.
Read the story26 min
