Papers 50 European Metropolitan Agglomerations

PAPERS 50 EUROPEAN Metropolitan agglomerations PRESENTATION entities and the competences of different However, the distribution of this urban metropolitan agglomerations. Finally, new occupation over the continent is uneven. Talking of population in Europe is information about the 14 countries studied The cluster of agglomerations that almost synonymous to talk about cities, in 2002 is presented allowing the analysis condenses on the land surface can about urban areas with thousands of of the evolution of these agglomerations be explained by both historical and inhabitants where economic activities during these years. geographical factors, and ultimately gives are concentrated. It is to refer to the rise to two different patterns of land use. nodes that are centers of the regions that The result is a monographic issue based on surround them, the links between the the statistical and cartographical information On one side, there is a diffuse, flows that define a worldwide network of (cities that make it up, size and density) homogeneous distribution that extends global relationships. and on the metropolitan government through central European countries such of each metropolis. 104 metropolitan as France, Belgium, the Netherlands, In the early years of 21st century, the agglomerations are identified in 20 countries Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, European Union is expanding in different using the same methodology developed Slovenia and Slovakia. This model is ways. On the one hand, adding new in 2002. The methodology analyzes a reminiscent of the urban grid systems of countries, and so, adding new urban straightforward and widely available Christaller’s theory. Urban agglomerations realities mixed with more consolidated variable: the number of inhabitants. It allows are distributed to form a network of areas; on the other hand, with the the identification of urban municipalities relatively equidistant central places that strengthening of their relationships with and metropolitan areas in all the studied have two or more levels of demographic its own surroundings, especially with the countries. Despite of its constraints, it is a concentration. This pattern extends over Mediterranean south coast countries. The method that shows, using urban densities, regions with high levels of occupation. launch of the Union for the Mediterranean some of the hierarchical relationships in is another step towards the construction higher population areas. Also, it permits On the other side, there is a form of of a Europe that wants to reinforce a social mapping urban agglomerations, showing distribution that draws points and lines of space of coexistence. In this scenario clearly that they form urban constellations demographic concentration on the map of cities play an important role thanks to spreading outside the boundaries of Europe. These correspond either to urban its capacity to revitalize and unify their European Union countries. cores that spread their influence radially surrounding regions. over the surrounding region or to linear strings of agglomerations. The consolidation process of this euromediterranean space depends, among Examples of cores are the cities of Paris, other aspects, on having an exhaustive METROPOLITAN AGGLOMERATIONS Madrid, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Budapest knowledge of the economic and population and Prague. They have a radial structure structures that defines it. Also, depends URBAN EUROPE of polarisation and deconcentration, and on studying the cities and urban areas AND METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENTS they spread out in any direction that is not that extend beyond its administrative conditioned by geographical features. boundaries and that form large Urban Europe configuration metropolitan agglomerations. We present Linear clusters of agglomerations, on in this issue of PAPERS journal, the results Almost 300 million people are concentrated the other hand, generally respond to the of the analysis of the urban areas of the 25 in the urban areas of the European Union configuration of certain geographical countries that formed the European Union countries. Some 65% of the population elements, such as the Rhine basin, which in 2006. It would be very interesting to live on 9% of Europe’s land surface. These has a total population of 15.5 million apply this analysis to all the countries that urban areas have developed around cities living between Friedrichshafen, on Lake make up the Union for the Mediterranean, that over a long period absorbed the rural Constance, and Rotterdam, via Basel, an organization committed to the exodus and became cores of economic Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt, Cologne, construction of a common Mediterranean activity, culture, communication, research Essen, Arnhem and Amsterdam. These space and that have located its secretariat and development. cities and urban agglomerations follow in one of the European large metropolitan the course of the river from the Alps to its agglomeration, Barcelona. At a later stage, the processes of mouth on the North Sea. residential and industrial sprawl shifted This study has been carried out by population and activity out into the Lying crosswise to the Rhine agglomeration the Servei d’Estudis Territorials de la metropolitan hinterland around the urban there is another continuous line of urban Mancomunitat de Municipis de l’Àrea core. Many peripheral municipalities were municipalities from Hanover to Calais, via Metropolitana de Barcelona and continues incorporated into the orbit of influence Bielefeld, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Liège, the one wrote in 2002 and published in the of the cities. In this respect, more recent Brussels and Lille, with a total population of issue 37 of PAPERS journal. It is important growth has been less along the lines of 20.5 million. This agglomeration reaches the to point out the novelties in this edition. an increase in the concentration of the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the First, the area of study has been widened population of urban areas and more in English Channel, Calais being the traditional and now includes those 12 countries that terms of the extension of their boundaries, port communicating France with the UK, joined the European Union in 2004. Second, that is, of their edges. Today most and it could be considered to continue a new chapter has been added with the suburban environments show stronger on the other side of the Strait with the reasons of the complexity of government population growth than their cities. conurbations of London, Manchester and EUROPEAN METROPOLITAN AGGLOMERATIONS / 225 Liverpool, which accumulate another Municipal divisions in Europe idea of coordinating to reach consensus 31.1 million inhabitants. decisions in the joint interest of several European municipal divisions tend to have municipalities is not always positively South of the Alps, we find the cluster a historical origin linked to the distribution valued in local political culture, which of urban municipalities of the Po basin, of power with a view to controlling territory. is often mediated by atavistic attitudes which stretches from Turin and Milan, at The mosaics they form, mostly arising from towards the inhabitants. its western end, through Brescia, Verona feudalism, have lived on to this day. and Padua, finally reaching Venice and the Conflict is to be found, then, between urban sprawl of the Veneto, at the foot of At first, the land covered by each urban agglomerations and administrative the Dolomites. It also embraces, on the municipality was of sufficient size to areas both at the municipal level and on other side of the valley, Parma and Bologna, withstand the growth of its built-up areas that of higher administrative bodies, and at the foot of the Apennines. The urban and the economic activity carried on indeed often on both levels simultaneously. agglomerations of this basin trace perfectly within its territory. But with the passing the valley that lies between the Italian Alps of time, some of these cities have grown and the Apennines. spectacularly, to the extent that the Metropolitan phenomena and changing municipality has become too small to patterns of urban growth Tracing other river valleys, we find the take in the entirety of its urban activity. line that joins the cities of Dijon, Lyon These situations highlight the contradiction The economy of the European countries and Marseille in the Rhone valley; in the between the material reality of cities and grew steadily, with few setbacks, in Garonne valley there is Toulouse and their administrative boundaries. the second half of the 20th century. The Bordeaux, and further north, in the Loire evolution of the gross domestic product valley, the cities of Orléans, Tours and Over the last 50 years, in order to adjust the shows a permanent increase in wealth, and Nantes. If we follow the Danube we existing administrative limits to the real city, European countries have therefore been come across the cities of Linz, Vienna, some cities have opted to annex adjoining getting richer and richer since 1950. This Bratislava and Budapest. territory by absorbing other municipalities. wealth is concentrated mainly around the There have also been cases of two big cities, which act as organised systems Another characteristic form of urban municipalities merging to create a new one, sustaining and promoting economic activity. concentration has been that of coastlines. which sometimes takes the name of the This consolidated pattern is strong enough Although this was linked

Load more