Ecumenopolis

/ˌɛkjuːməˈnɒpəlɪs/ noun

Definition

A hypothetical city or megacity that covers an entire continent or significant portion of Earth, where urban sprawl creates one continuous metropolitan area.

Etymology

From Greek oikoumene (inhabited world) plus polis (city), literally meaning 'world-city,' coined in the 1960s by urban planner Constantinos Doxiadis.

Kelly Says

Doxiadis predicted ecumenopoleis might exist by 2100—while we haven't quite reached that, places like the Boswash corridor (Boston to DC) show the trend he feared!

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