Chapter 4: Megalopolis

San Diego can be considered part of a similar urbanized region as megalopolis on the west coast. The massive conglomeration consists of Los Angeles/Orange County/Inland Empire/San Diego-Tijuana, and is an ever-expanding reminder of the growing Southern California population.

The current population of San Diego, as of the 2010 U.S. census, stands at around 3,095,313. There are 737 persons per square mile within the city. Housing within San Diego consists of multi-unit structures and single family dwellings. The recent upgrade of the downtown area and it's immediate surroundings has seen an increase in people moving back into more urban settings.

San Diego's transportation issues unfortunately have not been able to keep up with the rate of growth. Although a trolley system runs throughout the southern San Diego/ South Bay area, it is not enough to ease up the freeway congestion.

Urban sprawl has morphed most of the neighboring cities into San Diego. The coastal and inland regions that were once mostly separate, are now sharing borders. With no room to expand on the coastal side, the inland areas have become more populated. The greatest amount of growth has been in the South Bay region, which has seen an unprecedented amount of urban sprawl in the last decade.