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September 12, 2026Short & citedBlog
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Everyday Life • Urban Planning

Megalopolis

A megalopolis is a very large urban region made up of several adjacent metropolitan areas that have grown together through transport, economic, and social links.

Updated September 12, 20261 min readCited sources

A megalopolis is a large urban region formed by several adjacent metropolitan areas linked by transport, economy, and social ties. The term is also used more loosely to mean a very large city.

What it is

In urban planning, a megalopolis refers to a continuous or near-continuous zone where multiple cities and their suburbs have grown together. Unlike a single megacity, the constituent cities remain separate administrative units with distinct identities. The term comes from Greek roots meaning 'great city'.

Origins and key characteristics

Geographer Jean Gottmann popularized the modern use of megalopolis in urban planning. The concept emphasizes shared systems—transport, economy, ecology—that bind the region, even though each city retains its own governance. This network of cities often has a combined population exceeding 10 million.

A classic example is the northeastern U.S. corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. Related terms include megacity (a single very large city), conurbation (a continuous built-up area), and megaregion (a broader concept). The megalopolis concept is relevant to Canadian planning for interconnected city-regions and transportation corridors.

In short

  • A megalopolis is a linked network of metropolitan areas, not just one big city.
  • The term was popularized by Jean Gottmann.
  • Cities in a megalopolis keep separate identities and governments.
  • Shared infrastructure and economy define the region.
Canadian angle

The concept is relevant to Canadian urban planning when discussing large interconnected city-regions, transportation corridors, and cross-municipal growth around major metropolitan areas.

Quick questions

What is a megalopolis?
A megalopolis is a large urban region made up of several adjacent metropolitan areas that function together through shared infrastructure and economic links.
Is a megalopolis the same as a megacity?
No. A megacity is usually a single very large city, while a megalopolis is a network of nearby metropolitan areas.
Do the cities in a megalopolis lose their identities?
No. The component cities usually remain separate administrative units with their own identities.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopolis
    Supports: Definition as a group of metropolitan areas linked by transport, economy, resources, and ecology; cities retain distinct identities.
  2. Encyclopaedia Britannica — https://www.britannica.com/place/Megalopolis-Greece
    Supports: Separate place-name entry; not the urban-planning concept, but useful for distinguishing the Greek place from the general term.
  3. Merriam-Webster — https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/megalopolis
    Supports: Dictionary definition of megalopolis as a very large city or a thickly populated region centering in a metropolis or embracing several metropolises.
  4. Cambridge Dictionary — https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/megalopolis
    Supports: Dictionary definition of megalopolis as an extremely large city or urban area where many people live.
  5. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopolis_(disambiguation)
    Supports: Disambiguation showing the term's multiple meanings and uses.
  6. Wikipedia (Spanish) — https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megal%C3%B3polis
    Supports: States that the term was introduced/popularized in modern urban geography by Jean Gottmann in 1961 and is used for city-regions.