Los Angeles is a city of innovative architecture, but it is defined less by buildings than the enormous scale of its infrastructure--railways, water works, power grids and, of course, the ubiquitous freeways."

                    Eric Moss, Los Angeles Times, December 27, 2006
 

Metropolitan Los Angeles is home base for two world class ports, which require a finely tuned system for moving goods from the sea to the nation's markets.  Its car-crazy culture depends on a regular supply of gasoline and oil.  Its millions, maybe billions, of lights that are turned on every day and night require a sophisticated power grid.  Its seemingly endless cycle of building, remodeling, and demolishing requires an army of construction workers, who bring heavy equipment to work.  In light of the fact that much of the metropolis is a flood plain, L.A. has constructed a network of flood control channels, some of which used to be free flowing rivers.

Older industrial districts resemble archaeological sites.  There are layers, where antique equipment and decaying structures can be found.  Some of these artifacts have been hauled away and put on display in retail parking lots, museums, and city parks.  Others have been left in place to gather dust. 

A few industrial buildings attract artistic attention. Some are splashed with color. One proudly displays polka dots. Others, in the process of neglect and decay, radiate a strange kind of beauty.