macrocephaly

macro- +‎ -cephaly

macrocephaly (usually uncountable, plural macrocephalies)

1. (medicine) A condition in which the head is abnormally large.
2. (geography) The excessive concentration of population and development in a single centre, to the detriment of other areas.
   • 1983, Alan Riding, “Problems of Mexico City: Warning to the Third World,” New York Times, 15 May, 1983,

     Already Mexico City is a warning to other developing countries where centralized government, a high birth rate, neglect of agriculture and the rush to industrialize have combined to encourage migration to the cities. Twenty percent of the country's population lives here, and the term urban macrocephaly has been coined to describe the phenomenon.

   • 2014, Natacha Aveline-Dubach, “Understanding Globalization in Urban Asia: Moving from Single to Plural Dimensions and Scales” in Natacha Aveline-Dubach, Sue-Ching Jou and Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao (eds.), Globalization and New Intra-Urban Dynamics in Asian Cities, Taipei: National Taiwan University Press, p. 38,

     Another physical impact of urbanization in Asia has been the intensification of the primacy of capital cities. Most countries in the region—except China, Vietnam, and India—are well known for suffering from “macrocephaly disease.” Capital cities such as Tokyo, Taipei, Seoul, Jakarta, Manila, and Bangkok have a population that is more than double that of the next largest metropolitan area.

• macrocephalic