In France, an urban unit () is a statistical area defined by
INSEE, the French national statistics office, for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. According to the INSEE definition , an "unité urbaine" is a
commune alone or a grouping of communes which: a) form a single unbroken spread of urban development, with no distance between habitations greater than 200 m and b) have all together a population greater than 2,000 inhabitants.
Communes not belonging to an ''unité urbaine'' are considered rural.
The French ''unité urbaine'' is a statistical area in accordance with
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
recommendations for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. Other comparable units in other countries are the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
"
Urbanized Area" and the "urban area" definition shared by
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The French ''
aire d'attraction d'une ville'' is equivalent to the
functional urban area as defined by
Eurostat
Eurostat ("European Statistical Office"; also DG ESTAT) is a department of the European Commission ( Directorate-General), located in the Kirchberg quarter of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Eurostat's main responsibilities are to provide statist ...
, and represents a population and employment centre (urban cluster) and its commuting zone. The zoning into ''unités urbaines'' and ''aires d'attraction des villes'' was last revised in 2020.
French urban units with over 200,000 inhabitants
This list shows the unités urbaines as of the 2020 revision.
See also
*
Functional area (France)
An ''aire d'attraction d'une ville'' (or AAV, literally meaning "catchment area of a city") is a statistical area used by France's national statistics office INSEE since 2020, officially translated as functional area in English by INSEE, which ...
*
List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants
, there were 473 Communes of France, communes in France (Metropolitan France, metropolitan territory and Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas departments and regions) with population over 20,000, 280 communes with population ov ...
*
Urban area (France)
An ''aire urbaine'' (literal and official translation: "urban area") is an Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, INSEE (France's national statistics bureau) statistical concept describing a core of urban development a ...
References
Urban planning in France
Human habitats
Urban areas
INSEE concepts
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