metropolization

Metropolization is the process by which population, economic activity, and political influence become increasingly concentrated in metropolitan regions, expanding the urban core into surrounding suburbs and connecting areas into a functional metropolitan area. The phenomenon often transcends administrative boundaries as metropolitan regions incorporate multiple municipalities and jurisdictions.

Drivers include economies of agglomeration, specialization, improvements in transport and communication, globalization, migration, and policy incentives. Indicators of metropolization include rising shares of a region's population and GDP located in a metro area, expanding commuting zones, dense urban cores, and integrated transportation networks.

The process shapes urban form into monocentric or polycentric configurations, with infrastructure development, housing markets, and land-use changes extending beyond historic city cores. Metropolization can boost productivity, innovation, and regional competitiveness but also raises challenges such as traffic congestion, housing affordability, social inequality, environmental footprint, and governance fragmentation that often requires regional planning and coordination.

Debates about metropolization focus on achieving sustainable, inclusive growth while managing sprawl and preserving regional identities. Different regions illustrate varied paths, from highly centralized capitals to expansive, interconnected metropolitan networks.

See also: urbanization, urban agglomeration, metropolitan area, regional planning, megacity.