As part of its America 2050 initiative, RPA and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy convened scholars and planners at a research seminar in Healdsburg, California last April to explore an emerging urban form: the megaregion. Megaregions comprise networks of metropolitan areas linked by economic and trade relationships, transportation infrastructure, large natural systems, and growth concerns.
First identified as “megalopolis” in the 1960s, the northeast megaregion, from southern Maine to northern Virginia, presents the most recognizable example of this urban form. The report includes four scholarly papers examining case studies of megaregions in California, Texas, the Midwest, and Western Europe.
For additional information on the America 2050 project, visit the archived America 2050 website.