In this paper, a method to systematically synthesize control configurations with favorable structural coupling is developed, using relative degree as a measure of such coupling. Initially, an integer optimization problem is formulated to identify optimal distributions of inputs and outputs (decentralized control configurations) that minimize the overall structural coupling in the network. Then, a hierarchical clustering procedure, which allows identifying groups of inputs and outputs that are strongly connected topologically (block decentralized control configurations), is proposed. The application of the method is illustrated through an example process network. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.