Cluster-based Delineation of Megaregions in the United States: Identifying administrative boundaries that reflect meta-communities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of government

Abstract

Coordination and collaboration through governance at meta-urban scales have the potential to significantly improve quality of life while reducing the bureaucratic burden on society. Megaregional research and delineation has largely focused on scholarly inquiry into specific relationships using narrow datasets or on private efforts to identify market opportunities with opaque analysis methods. This work aims to provide a megaregion delineation that is transparent, data diverse, and comprehensible to a degree that the resulting boundaries are well suited to administrative implementation. The process developed leverages a combination of cluster analysis and metropolitan planning organization locations to identify sub-regions that share morphological characteristics and functional relationships. Recommendations are made for subsequent research into four areas: new data sources, process refinements, applications for megaregional planning, and implementation principles for megaregional government.M.S