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Table 2
Average Population Densities by EPA Smog Rating
___________________________________________
Average
Smog
Density
Sample
2
Rating
(mi )
Size
___________________________________________
Metropolitan Areas
Extreme
3,362
26
Serious
2,378
49
Moderate
2,077
56
Marginal
1,744
26
None
1,505
234
Central Cities
Extreme
8,771
13
Serious
4,148
9
Moderate
3,089
23
Marginal
2,968
10
None
1,403
21
___________________________________________
Source: Density from Census Bureau, 1990
Census of Population and Housing (Washington:
Census Bureau, 1992); smog ratings from EPA
Office of Air Quality and Standards.
all metropolitan areas.47 Thus, Los Angeles should be a
perfect advertisement for New Urbanism. In fact, New Urban-
ist planners in Portland say that Los Angeles "represents an
investment pattern we desire to replicate."48 Yet Los
Angeles has the nation's worst air pollution problems.
New Urbanists also say that a mixture of land uses will
lead to a reduction of dependence on the automobile. But a
1994 study by Cambridge Systematics for the U.S. Department
of Transportation found that "land use mix does not impact
drive alone mode share to a degree that is statistically
significant."49 On the other hand, "financial incentives
[programs that reward people for carpooling or using tran-
sit] do have a significant impact on drive alone mode
share."50