Thefunctional urban area (FUA), previously known aslarger urban zone (LUZ),[1] is a measure of the population and expanse of metropolitan and surrounding areas which may or may not be exclusively urban.[2] It consists of a city and its commuting zone,[3] which is a contiguous area of spatial units that have at least 15% of their employed residents working in the city.[4]
The FUA represents an attempt at a harmonised definition of themetropolitan area. Eurostat's objective was to have an area from which a significant share of the residents commute into the city, a concept known as the "functional urban region."[5] To ensure a good data availability, Eurostat adjusts the FUA boundaries to administrative boundaries that approximate the functional urban area.[6]
The definition was introduced under the nameLarger urban zone (LUZ) in 2004 byEurostat, the statistical agency of theEuropean Union (EU), in agreement with the national statistics offices in the member states.[7][8] Eurostat data is provided only for zones in the EU countries,candidate countries andEFTA countries. Several cities were excluded by definition from the 2004 list of LUZs on technical, definitional grounds, such as the coincidence of the metropolitan area with the urban zone.[9][10][11]
In 2006 LUZ definitions were changed significantly, improving the comparability of LUZ definitions across different countries, and allowing for almost all cities to be included.[citation needed]
In 2011, theEuropean Commission has developed a new definition of LUZ in cooperation with theOECD.[12] The termLarger urban zone (LUZ) was later renamed as theFunctional urban area (FUA).[1]
In 2020, theFood and Agriculture Organization, theUnited Nations Human Settlements Programme, theInternational Labour Organization, and theWorld Bank have also adopted the Functional urban area as their definition for delimitation of metropolitan areas.[13]
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This is a list of functional urban areas by population as of 2017. The 2004 Urban Audit also includes cities fromEFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and EU candidate countries, although the only candidate country for which there is available data is Turkey. Some cities, including Marseille, Lille, Nice, Cordoba, Badajoz, Toulon and Montpellier were excluded from the 2004 list on technical, definitional grounds, such as the coincidence of the metropolitan area with the urban zone.
Rank | Functional urban area | Country | Population | Area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paris | ![]() | 13,998,000 | 12,079.87[14] |
2 | Istanbul | ![]() | 11,154,928 | |
3 | London | ![]() | 10,345,124 | 8,900[14] |
4 | Madrid | ![]() | 5,804,829 | 8,022 |
5 | Ruhr Area | ![]() | 5,302,179 | 4,435 |
6 | Berlin | ![]() | 4,971,331 | 17,385 |
7 | Naples | ![]() | 4,475,682 | 564.95 |
8 | Barcelona | ![]() | 4,233,638 | 1,796.64 |
9 | Athens | ![]() | 4,013,368 | 3,806.92 |
10 | Ankara | ![]() | 3,736,359 | |
11 | Rome | ![]() | 3,457,690 | 3,666.66 |
12 | Hamburg | ![]() | 3,134,620 | 7,304 |
12 | Milan | ![]() | 3,076,643 | 1,348.32 |
13 | Manchester | ![]() | 2,948,633 | 1,280 |
14 | Katowice metropolitan area | ![]() | 2,710,397 | 2,650.65 |
15 | Stuttgart | ![]() | 2,663,660 | 3,654 |
16 | Warsaw | ![]() | 2,631,710 | 5,201.72 |
17 | Munich | ![]() | 2,531,706 | 5,504 |
18 | Frankfurt | ![]() | 2,517,561 | 4,305 |
19 | İzmir | ![]() | 2,459,474 | |
20 | Lisbon | ![]() | 2,435,837 | 1,432.49 |
21 | Budapest | ![]() | 2,393,846 | 2,538[14] |
22 | Leeds | ![]() | 2,393,300 | 5,114[14] |
23 | Birmingham | ![]() | 2,357,100 | 1,598 |
24 | Vienna | ![]() | 2,179,769 | 4,610.93[14] |
25 | Bucharest | ![]() | 2,140,194 | 662 |
26 | Prague | ![]() | 1,964,750 | 6,977[14] |
27 | Cologne | ![]() | 1,873,580 | 1,626 |
28 | Stockholm | ![]() | 1,860,872 | 6,519 |
29 | Copenhagen | ![]() | 1,806,667[14] | 2,759[14] |
30 | Brussels | ![]() | 1,800,663 | 1,613.91 |
31 | Glasgow | ![]() | 1,747,100 | 3,346 |
32 | Turin | ![]() | 1,745,221 | 1,878.97 |
33 | Lyon | ![]() | 1,717,300 | 5,997.68[14] |
34 | Belgrade | ![]() | 1,683,962 | 514 |
35 | Valencia | ![]() | 1,564,145 | 1,440.58 |
36 | Dublin | ![]() | 1,535,446[14] | |
37 | Düsseldorf | ![]() | 1,525,029 | 1,201 |
38 | Bursa | ![]() | 1,474,482 | |
39 | Amsterdam | ![]() | 1,443,258 | 859.28 |
40 | Adana | ![]() | 1,394,130 | |
41 | Liverpool | ![]() | 1,365,900 | 821 |
42 | Bielefeld | ![]() | 1,297,876 | 2,921 |
43 | Hanover | ![]() | 1,294,447 | 2,966 |
44 | Nuremberg | ![]() | 1,288,797 | 2,934 |
45 | Sheffield | ![]() | 1,277,100 | 1,846 |
46 | Kraków | ![]() | 1,264,322 | 2,988.65 |
47 | Sofia | ![]() | 1,263,807[14] | 3,424.2[14] |
48 | Seville | ![]() | 1,249,346 | 3,081.9 |
49 | Bremen | ![]() | 1,249,291 | 5,885 |
50 | Helsinki | ![]() | 1,224,107 | 2,969.94 |
51 | Rotterdam | ![]() | 1,186,818 | 611.75 |
52 | Łódź | ![]() | 1,163,516 | 2,857.51 |
53 | Ostrava | ![]() | 1,153,876 | 3,889.6[14] |
54 | Zürich | ![]() | 1,110,478 | 1,086.14 |
55 | Tricity | ![]() | 1,105,203 | 3,457.32 |
56 | Porto | ![]() | 1,099,040 | 562.32 |
57 | Oslo | ![]() | 1,090,513 | 6,920 |
58 | Newcastle upon Tyne | ![]() | 1,055,600 | 3,385 |
59 | Gaziantep | ![]() | 1,052,795 | |
60 | Toulouse | ![]() | 1,052,497 | 4,706.93[14] |
61 | Wrocław | ![]() | 1,031,439 | 4,582.2 |
62 | Poznań | ![]() | 1,018,511 | 3,719.2 |
63 | Gothenburg | ![]() | 1,015,974 | 3,694.86 |
64 | Bristol | ![]() | 1,006,600 | 1,635 |
65 | Riga | ![]() | 1,003,949 | 5,382.5 |
This is a list of functional urban areas. The Urban Audit also includes cities fromEFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and EU candidate countries. TheOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) uses a similar definition of Functional Urban Area to represent population sizes of cities in OECD countries.[15] This data is also included.
The figures in the Eurostat database are an attempt at a compromise between harmonised data for all of the European Union, and with availability of statistical data, making comparisons more accurate.[16]
Functional urban area | Country | OECD Population (2014)[15] | Eurostat Population (2006)[17] | Eurostat Population (2016)[18] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Amsterdam metropolitan area | ![]() | 2,452,659 | 2,497,000[a] | 2,771,661 |
Antwerp | ![]() | 1,081,904 | 1,406,000[b] | 1,100,139 |
Athens | ![]() | 3,535,055 | 3,761,000 | 3,863,763 |
Barcelona metropolitan area | ![]() | 3,846,697 | 4,082,000[c] | 5,445,616 |
Berlin | ![]() | 4,399,542 | 4,016,000 | 5,005,216 |
Bilbao | ![]() | 1,013,805 | 947,000 | 1,025,109 |
Birmingham (West Midlands) | ![]() | 1,957,078 | 3,701,107 | 2,332,629 |
Bordeaux | ![]() | 1,175,699 | No data | 1,244,264 |
Bremen | ![]() | 1,027,192 | 1,077,000 | 1,244,363 |
Bristol | ![]() | 836,621 | 1,041,000 | 1,090,080 |
Brussels-Capital Region | ![]() | 2,588,102 | 2,639,000[b] | 2,625,525 |
Bucharest metropolitan area | ![]() | 2,402,530 | 2,158,558 | 2,403,107 |
Budapest metropolitan area | ![]() | 2,879,601 | 2,523,000 | 2,993,948 |
Cardiff | ![]() | 664,861 | 1,097,000 | 1,085,526 |
Copenhagen | ![]() | 2,025,171 | 1,881,000[d] | 1,893,010 |
Dublin Metropolitan Area | ![]() | 1,836,119 | 1,261,332 | 1,263,035 |
Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Region | ![]() | 2,533,311 | 2,764,000[e] | 2,573,745 |
Gdańsk | ![]() | 1,105,467 | No data | 1,141,954[f] |
Greater Glasgow | ![]() | 967,101 | 1,395,000 | 1,789,003 |
Metropolitan Gothenburg | ![]() | 1,015,974 | No data | 1,006,548[g] |
The Hague | ![]() | 906,897 | 1,404,000[a] | 1,070,027 |
Hamburg Metropolitan Region | ![]() | 3,008,841 | 2,983,000 | 3,173,871 |
Hanover | ![]() | 1,217,511 | No data | 1,300,687 |
Helsinki Metropolitan Area | ![]() | 1,498,050 | 1,285,000 | 1,532,309 |
Katowice metropolitan area | ![]() | 2,589,349 | 3,029,000[h] | 2,743,929 |
Kraków metropolitan area | ![]() | 1,362,740 | 1,236,000 | 1,276,438 |
West Yorkshire (Leeds –Bradford) | ![]() | 1,774,552[i] | 2,302,000 | 2,238,127 |
Lille–Kortrijk–Tournai | ![]() ![]() | 1,363,465[j] | 1,379,000[k] | 2,572,374 |
Lisbon metropolitan area | ![]() | 3,039,662 | 2,791,000 | 2,839,908 |
Liverpool/Birkenhead | ![]() | 954,181 | 2,241,000 | 1,352,000 |
Łódź | ![]() | 939,568 | 1,165,000 | 1,116,660 |
London metropolitan area | ![]() | 11,701,236 | 13,109,000 | 12,250,000 |
Lyon | ![]() | 1,960,847 | 1,669,000 | 2,188,759 |
Madrid metropolitan area | ![]() | 7,079,173 | 5,263,000 | 6,378,297 |
Greater Manchester | ![]() | 1,935,559 | 2,556,000 | 2,615,144 |
Mannheim | ![]() | 1,230,276 | No data | 1,172,821 |
Marseille | ![]() | 1,773,503 | 1,530,000 | 1,750,885[l] |
Milan metropolitan area | ![]() | 4,159,854 | 4,136,000[m] | 4,267,946 |
Munich | ![]() | 2,965,871 | 2,665,000[n] | 2,808,581 |
Naples metropolitan area | ![]() | 4,475,682 | 4,654,259[o] | 4,127,390 |
Nice | ![]() | 865,195 | 1,082,000 | 1,017,307 |
Nottingham-Derby | ![]() | 863,918 | 1,614,000 | 1,927,550 |
Nuremberg Metropolitan Region | ![]() | 1,169,367 | 1,443,000 | 1,301,504 |
Greater Oslo | ![]() | 1,299,955 | 1,037,000 | 1,144,883 |
Ostrava | ![]() | no data | no data | 1,119,593[p] |
Paris metropolitan area | ![]() | 12,037,889 | 13,975,000 | 12,824,000 |
Porto Metropolitan Area | ![]() | 1,737,829 | 1,245,000[q] | 1,286,111 |
Portsmouth-Southampton | ![]() | 594,455 | 1,547,000 | 1,498,402[r] |
Prague | ![]() | 1,910,396 | 1,669,000 | 2,224,080[s] |
Rhein-Nord[t] (Düsseldorf –Neuss) | ![]() | 1,427,823[u] | 3,073,000[v] | 1,527,176 |
Rhein-Süd[t] (Cologne – Bonn) | ![]() | 1,926,073[w] | 3,070,000[v] | 3,023,545[x] |
Riga | ![]() | No data | 1,195,000 | 1,089,767 |
Rome metropolitan area | ![]() | 4,149,364 | 4,353,738 | 3,700,000 |
Rotterdam | ![]() | 1,509,373 | 1,904,000[a] | 1,818,563 |
Ruhr area | ![]() | No data[y] | 5,376,000[v] | 5,045,784 |
Saarbrücken –Forbach | ![]() ![]() | 570,479[z] | 1,102,000 | 822,128 |
Seville | ![]() | 1,500,644 | 1,180,000[aa] | 1,877,060 |
Sofia | ![]() | No data | 1,260,120 | 1,543,377 |
Metropolitan Stockholm | ![]() | 2,018,208 | 2,171,000 | 2,034,354[citation needed] |
South Yorkshire (Sheffield) | ![]() | 920,128 | 1,569,000 | 1,596,298 |
Stuttgart Metropolitan Region | ![]() | 1,965,942 | 2,289,000 | 2,678,795 |
Thessaloniki metropolitan area | ![]() | 975,439 | 1,052,000 | 1,166,914 |
Toulouse | ![]() | 1,309,149 | No data | 1,388,978 |
Turin metropolitan area | ![]() | 1,774,507 | 1,601,000[ab] | 2,302,353 |
Newcastle-Sunderland | ![]() | 1,082,729[ac] | 1,599,000 | 1,141,879 |
Valencia | ![]() | 1,668,153 | 1,398,000[ad] | 2,516,818 |
Vienna | ![]() | 2,793,631 | 2,584,000 | 2,339,807 |
Warsaw metropolitan area | ![]() | 3,037,890 | 2,785,000 | 3,304,641 |
Zagreb | ![]() | No data | 1,107,115 | 1,123,374 |
Zürich metropolitan area | ![]() | 1,246,968 | 1,615,000 | 1,984,534 |
Within the Urban Audit, (...) functional urban areas were previously referred to as 'larger urban zones'.
The main building blocks are data for 1 km² population grid cells. […] The typology for functional urban areas is established at the level of local administrative units (LAUs). Once all grid cells have been classified and urban centres identified, the next step concerns overlaying these results onto LAUs […]
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(help)Until recently, there was no harmonised definition of 'a city' for European and other countries member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This undermined the comparability, and thus also the credibility, of cross-country analysis of cities. To resolve this problem, the OECD and the European Commission developed a new definition of a city and its commuting zone in 2011. […] Each city is part of its own commuting zone or a polycentric commuting zone covering multiple cities. These commuting zones are significant, especially for larger cities. The cities and commuting zones together (called Larger Urban Zones) account for 60 % of the EU population.