No city in the world has been designed for and by the automobile as has Los Angeles - Essay Example

Automobile Dominance in Los Angeles The current era is characterized by immense technological advancements that have direct impacts on the lifestyle of populations. In Los Angeles, the automobile has had significant impacts on the holistic wellbeing of the populations. Indeed, this influences the culture, social tests, aspirations, recreation as well as work of the populations. Automobile in Los Angeles can be considered an essential tool that the locals require to run their operations with ease.

They have inculcated the relative culture in all aspects of their social as well as economic wellbeing. Seemingly, the nature and design of its city has adopted similar trends. To a large extent, its distinctive features are reflective of the auto-culture that the respective society has assumed.To begin with, the land use practices in the city of Los Angeles underscore the fact that the locals place great emphasis on the use of vehicles. In this respect, Bottles indicates that the central business district of Los Angeles has allocated up to 79% of its total area to packing facilities, garages and streets (Bottles 33).

These facilities imply that a significant percentage of the inhabitants use vehicles. The sidewalks on the other hand have shrunk significantly as very few pedestrians use them. Certainly, the high use of automobiles greatly influences the urban land use decisions that are developed, implemented and enforced by the relevant authorities. Another indicator of automobile dominance in Los Angeles pertains to the increase of traffic congestion in the region. Transport and urban reports of this nation cite traffic congestion as one of the main problems that Los Angeles is currently grappling with.

Although intervention measures such as improvement and expansion of the road system network have been undertaken in the recent past, the problem still persists. Relevant authorities are still taking measures to address this issue through construction of more freeways. Comparatively, these require less space than the current road network structure. The emergence and flourishing of relative automobile industries is also indicative of increasing dominance of the automobile culture. In this respect, Bottles indicates that gas stations have increased significantly, repair and auto parts stores and several other automobile dealership has increased (Bottles 47).

This trend ascertains that the population greatly values the automobile. These seek to respond to the increasing and changing needs of the users. To a great extent, this also seeks to offer new services to the consumer base. At this point, it cannot be disputed that consumer expectations and preferences with regard to automobile ownership and use are very dynamic. From the preceding review, the automobile culture has become typical of the lifestyle of the Los Angeles inhabitants. This has influenced urban land use practices in the region.

Currently, a significant percentage of the land area is allocated to pack space and streets. Sideways that are important for pedestrians have shrunk. Further, the auto dealership service providers have increased. They have also diversified their services to conform to the dynamic consumer preferences and expectations. Seemingly, the road network is also being restructured in order to accommodate the rising volume of cars. This is apparent through the traffic congestion that has become problematic especially in urban areas.

In conclusion, the automobile culture has greatly influenced the way of life of the Los Angeles population.Work CitedBottles, Scott. Los Angeles and the automobile: The making of the modern city. USA: Wiley, 1991. Print.