Defining the regional sphere of influence of Fresno, California, for urban planning purposes

In this project, we shall attempt to define the regional sphere of influence of the Fresno, California, Metropolitan Area. The emphasis will be not only on delineating the region, but also on showing that such an exercise has relevance for urban planners and policy makers. Many difficulties are inherent in this project. The concept of "regional sphere of influence" is a nebulous one, thus making the attempt to bound such a region extremely difficult and verging on the arbitrary. Lack of reliable, compatible, and complete data is another major obstacle. The sheer bulk and sometimes contradictory nature of data has been perplexing. The greatest difficulty has been in developing the actual methods of analysis within these limitations and within reasonable time constraints.