ARTICLE Geographies of mega‐urbanization John Lauermann City University of New York, USA Correspondence John Lauermann, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York, 1650 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225. Email: jlauermann@mec.cuny.edu Abstract This paper reviews recent research on mega‐urbanization, showing that it is an increasingly common form of urban growth. This includes research on the spatial expansion of cities through mega‐scale urban agglomerations like mega‐ cities and mega‐regions; it also includes research on the intensification of urban land use through mega‐projects. The paper outlines strategies for researching the geogra- phies of mega‐urbanization, based on recent research in urban studies. Empirically, urban researchers are treating mega‐urbanization as an increasingly ordinary part of every- day urban life. Methodologically, urban researchers are adopting longitudinal approaches for assessing the complex temporalities of mega‐projects and for evaluating gaps between planning promises and planning outcomes. Theoretically, urban research is taking a pragmatic approach to mega‐urbanization, viewing it critically but also aiming to constructively intervene in mega‐project planning. KEYWORDS mega‐city, mega‐project, mega‐urbanization, urban geography, urbanization 1 | INTRODUCTION “Mega‐urbanization” is urban growth large enough to drastically transform the geography of a city. That transforma- tion can involve spatial extension of the urbanized landscape, land use intensification through major construction projects, or some combination of the two. It is an increasingly common form of urban growth, as cities are trans- formed through ambitious construction “mega‐projects” (Orueta & Fainstein, 2008), as new‐build cities spring up in the global South (Datta & Shaban, 2017) and as urban infrastructure is built far beyond city boundaries (Brenner, 2014). Our contemporary “urban age” encourages such large‐scale construction because rapid urbanization increases ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2018 The Author(s) Geography Compass © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Received: 18 January 2018 Revised: 12 June 2018 Accepted: 19 June 2018 DOI: 10.1111/gec3.12396 Geography Compass. 2018;12:e12396. https://doi.org/10.1111/gec3.12396 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gec3 1 of 12