This collection, the first international comparative study of local boundary reform, examines the legal and regulatory procedures involved in municipal restructuring. Case studies from eight nations investigate how and why local governments have been enlarged in scope and reduced in number. Four key aspects are examined: the geography of the local government boundary problem, the procedures associated with boundary reform, the roles of institutions and actors in boundary reform, and the implications for urban and regional governance. This book offers a broad theoretical understanding of local government boundary reform and informs the wider scholarly discussion about institutional change, state structures, and the areal jurisdiction of local governments.