Chaper 4 - Megalopolis

Urban Sprawl

Simi Valley is a part of the greater Los Angeles area.  Los Angeles has many of the same features and problems as Megalopolis.

Megalopolis is dependent on its natural ports in order to facilitate trade between coastal cities and also European countries.  While southern California does not have as many natural ports, it does have the Port of Long Beach which moves $140 billion in goods annually and is important for US/Asian trade.

Megalopolis is all about connecting densely populated areas.  While these populated areas on the east coast are different cities in different states, Los Angeles connects large cities which now bleed into each other. Eight of the largest cities in California and located in the greater Los Angeles area.  Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Irvine, Fontana and Oxnard are all large cities that are connected by a network of highways. 

This area also faces some of the same problems as Megalopolis including urban sprawl, insufficient transportations networks and traffic problems.

Sources:

Port of Long Beach (http://www.polb.com/about/default.asp)

Largest Cities in California (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_California_cities_by_population)

Regional Landscapes of the United States and Canada (p.64-p.85)