[mjevans]

I think if you looked at cities as density of buildings and people living/working as a set of gravity wells, then defining which direction things flow towards and from how far away would make where to draw the real lines less ambiguous.

In that respect places like New York, The (SF) Bay Area, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and Seattle would make a lot more sense; and most of these mostly would be within one state.

Problematically cities spanning state lines would be obvious. DC, Portland (Oregon), Kansas City and St. Louis spring to mind as examples.

I believe it to be unfair for workers to escape the taxes of a city by driving across some human chosen line.

I believe it to be unfair for insular communities to exclude "less desirables" by NIMBY actions.

I believe we could actually solve congestion if these mega-city regions had regional planning and zoning to encourage a range of affordable housing close to the jobs, addressing the commutes instead of trying to fund their expansion.