The Image and the Region--making Mega-city Regions Visible!

Mega-city regions are an emerging large-scale urban phenomenon of strategic importance for economic, social and cultural development, at the European and national level. However to politicians, administrators and citizens these regions remain invisible and intangible in many respects. They are rarely mapped, lack a general concept and image, and offer few features that are readily perceived in everyday life. Getting a picture of mega-city regions is crucial for comprehension, identification, motivation and commitment. Raising awareness of this nascent space is a prerequisite to establishing large-scale metropolitan governance. The program behind "Making Mega-City Regions Visible!" aims to transform the analytical or normative concept of mega-city regions into a perceptual space, enabling it to finally become a space of collective action.