Comments on: Density and Politics

By: Michael Wells

Michael Wells — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 23:31:56 +0000

Works in the Northwest. The area West of Portland is Washington County, definitely suburban, high tech since the late 1980’s, trending Democratic. It’s the First Congressional district and a headache for Republicans who have long held the seat was competitive, but have lost it to a string of candidates since the mid-1970’s. The area south of Portland, increasingly suburban and shown here as Bush country, is the 5th district which has likewise trended Democratic and will probably elect its second D representative in a row. In both cases it’s because the Republicans have moved far Right of the districts’ centerist majorities, rather than love for Democrats per se.

I would venture that the same thing is true of the Seattle suburbs, although I don’t have the same personal knowledge.

Interesting to see the California Kerry/Democratic movement spread into Silicon Valley and suburbs far North and South of San Francisco, and Northeast to Sacramento.

By: Whitney Gunderson

Whitney Gunderson — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:47:15 +0000

I think Republicans are attracted to sprawl. Short of redistricting, there’s not much a politican can do to influence the ideology of a certain place. They more or less blow with the wind. Arizona is one of the reddest states in the country right now, and the population density of Phoenix, the largest city, has gone from 230.6 people per square mile in 1990 to 223.1 in 2000. Not a large decrease, but when the population increase of Phoenix from 1990 – 2000 is considered (growth of more than 335,000), sprawl in Phoenix becomes, uhhh, “significant.”

By: DC

DC — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:25:01 +0000

Chicken or egg? Ian, is it that more sprawl produces more Republicans, or, I think more likely, Republicans tend to be attracted to the new developments of sprawl? It makes me think of Bishop and his work on our self-segregating by ideology, lifestyle, etc.

By: Ian

Ian — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:38:12 +0000

I considered doing my master’s thesis on this, and I found it surprising that there’s not much out there on this phenomenon.

It suggests there’s an incentive for Republicans (and likely right-wing parties everywhere) to encourage sprawl-type development.