Conurbation

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Conurbation

A conurbation is an urban area

Urban area

An urban area is an area with an increased Population density of human-created structures in comparison to the areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be city, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlet ....
or agglomeration

Agglomeration

In the study of human settlements, an agglomeration is an extended city or town area comprising the built-up area of a central place and any suburbs linked by continuous urban area....
comprising a number of cities, large town

Town

A town is a type of human settlement ranging from a few to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition....
s and larger urban areas that, through population growth

Population growth

Population growth is the change in population over time, and can be quantified as the change in the number of individuals in a population using "per unit time" for measurement....
and physical expansion, have merged to form one continuous urban and industrially developed area. In most cases, a conurbation is a polycentric agglomeration, in which transportation has developed to link areas to create a single urban labour market or travel to work area

Travel to Work Area

A Travel to Work Area or TTWA is a statistical tool used by UK Government agencies and local authorities, especially by the Department for Work and Pensions and Job Centres, to indicate an area where the population would generally commute to a larger town, city or conurbation for the purposes of employment....
.

The term "conurbation" was coined as a neologism

Neologism

A neologism is a newly coined word that may be in the process of entering common use, but has not yet been accepted into mainstream language . Neologisms are often directly attributable to a specific person, publication, period, or event....
in 1915 by Patrick Geddes

Patrick Geddes

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A conurbation is an urban area

Urban area

Agglomeration

Town

Population growth

Travel to Work Area

Neologism

Patrick Geddes

Sir Patrick Geddes was a Scotland biologist and botanist, known also as an innovative thinker in the fields of urban planning and education. He was responsible for introducing the concept of "region" to architecture and planning and is also known to have coined the term conurbation ....
in his book Cities In Evolution. He drew attention to the ability of the (then) new technology of electric power and motorised transport to allow cities to spread and agglomerate together, and gave as examples "Midlandton

West Midlands conurbation

The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen and Sutton Coldfield in the England West Midlands ....
" in England, the Ruhr

Ruhr Area

The Ruhr Area, is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km? and a population of some 5.3 million, it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany....
in Germany, and New York

New York

The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
-Boston in the USA.

A conurbation can be confused with a metropolitan area

Metropolitan area

A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence, or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central city and their zone of influence....
. As the term is used in North America, a metropolitan area consists of many neighborhoods, while a conurbation consists of many different metropolitan areas that are connected with one another and are usually interdependent economically and socially. Internationally, the term "urban agglomeration" is often used to convey a similar meaning to "conurbation".

Examples of Conurbations

Randstad, The Netherlands

The Randstad

Randstad

Image:Randstad_with_scale.png|400px|thumb|right|Schematic map of the Randstadcircle 528 380 26 Schipholrect 426 356 498 436 Haarlemmermeer...
, which is a densely populated area in the Netherlands consisting of a cluster of the four biggest cities of the country and several smaller cities, towns and urbanized villages, is another appropriate example of a conurbation. The Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium, by contrast, is an agglomeration centered on one city.

United Kingdom

Industrial and housing growth in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
during the 19th and early 20th centuries produced many conurbations. Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the City of London , the City of Westminster and the other 31 London boroughs....
is by far the largest urban area and is usually counted as a conurbation in statistical terms, but differs from the others in the degree to which it is focussed on a single central area. In the mid-1950s the Green Belt

Green belt

A green belt or greenbelt is a policy or land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural landscape surrounding or neighbouring urban areas....
was introduced to stem the further urbanisation of the countryside in England.

The list below shows the most populous urban areas in the UK as defined by the Office for National Statistics

Office for National Statistics

The Office for National Statistics is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
(ONS). (It should be noted that the Greater London Urban Area contains the whole of what is commonly called London

London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, but ONS definitions divide London into a large number of smaller localities of which the largest is Croydon.)

Rank	Urban Area	Population (2001 Census)	Localities	Area (km²)	Density (People/km²)	Major localities
1	Greater London Urban Area Greater London Urban Area The Greater London Urban Area is the conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, in south east England with an estimated population of 8,505,000 in 2005 The urban area measured 1,623.3 km? as of the 2001 Census....	8,278,251	67	1,623.37	5,099.4	Croydon London Borough of Croydon The London Borough of Croydon is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. It covers an area of and is the largest London borough by population.... , Barnet London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and five other London boroughs: London Borough of Harrow and London Borough of Brent to the west, London Borough of Camden and London Borough of Haringey to the south-east and London Borough of Enfield to the... , Ealing London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing is an Outer London London borough in West London.The London Borough of Ealing borders the London Borough of Hillingdon to the west, the London Borough of Harrow and the London Borough of Brent to the north, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham to the east and the London Borough of Hounslow to the south.... , Bromley London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The principal town in the borough is Bromley....
2	West Midlands Urban Area	2,284,093	22	599.72	3,808.6	Birmingham Birmingham Birmingham is a city status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham is the most populous of England's English Core Cities Group, and is the List of United Kingdom cities by population British city after London, with a population of 1,010,200 .... , Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Wolverhampton is a City status in the United Kingdom and metropolitan borough of the West Midlands , England. In 2004, the local government district had an estimated population of 239,100; the wider Urban Area had a population of List of English cities by population, which makes it the 13th most populous city in England.... , Dudley Dudley Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands , England, with a population of List of English cities by population. Since 1974 it has been the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Dudley; the original County Borough had undergone a lesser expansion in 1966.... , Walsall Walsall Walsall is a large industrial town in the West Midlands of England. It is located northwest of Birmingham and east of Wolverhampton. Historic counties of England a part of Staffordshire, Walsall is a component area of the West Midlands conurbation, and is sometimes described as part of the Black Country....
3	Greater Manchester Urban Area Greater Manchester Urban Area The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large conurbation surrounding and including the Manchester in North West England....	2,240,230	57	556.72	4,024.0	Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. Manchester was granted City status in the United Kingdom in 1853.... , Salford Salford Salford lies at the heart of the City of Salford, a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. Salford is located by a meander of the River Irwell, which forms its boundary with the city of Manchester to the east.... , Bolton Bolton Bolton is a large town in Greater Manchester, in the North West England region of England.Situated close to the West Pennine Moors, north west of the city of Manchester, it is the largest and most populous settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, the former county borough of Bolton has a population of 139,403, though this figure d... , Stockport Stockport Stockport is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground on the River Mersey at the influx of the rivers River Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, southeast of the city of Manchester.... , Oldham Oldham Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk and River Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester.... , Rochdale Rochdale Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester.... , Bury Bury Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester....
4	West Yorkshire Urban Area West Yorkshire Urban Area The West Yorkshire Urban Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics to refer to a conurbation in West Yorkshire, England, based mainly on Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield, Wakefield, but excluding towns such as Castleford, Halifax, West Yorkshire, Pontefract and Wetherby which though part of the county of West Yorkshire are consi...	1,499,465	26	370.02	4,052.4	Leeds Leeds Leeds is located on the River Aire in West Yorkshire, England. It is the urban core and administrative centre of the wider metropolitan borough of the City of Leeds.... , Bradford Bradford Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield.... , Huddersfield Huddersfield Huddersfield is a large market town within the Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city.... , Wakefield Wakefield Wakefield lies at the heart of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder, it had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
5	Greater Glasgow Greater Glasgow Greater Glasgow is the conurbation that includes and surrounds the city of Glasgow in the west of Scotland. It has a population of 1,199,629 at the 2001 census making it the largest urban area in Scotland and the fifth List of conurbations in the United Kingdom in the United Kingdom....	1,168,270	48	368.47	3,171.0	Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's Scottish Lowlands.... , Paisley Paisley Paisley is a town and former burgh in the west-Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is situated on the northern edge of the Gleniffer Braes, straddling the banks of the River Cart.... , Coatbridge Coatbridge Coatbridge is a Lanarkshire town set in the central Lowlands of Scotland. The first settlement of the area stretches back to the stone age era. Foundations of the town can be traced back to the 12th century when the area was gifted by Royal Charter to the Monks of Newbattle Abbey by Malcolm IV.... , Clydebank Clydebank Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and Drumchapel districts of the adjacent City of G... , Motherwell

Golden Horseshoe, Ontario, Canada

The "Golden Horseshoe

Golden Horseshoe

The Golden Horseshoe is a densely populated and Industrialisation region centred around the western end of Lake Ontario in Southern Ontario, Canada, with outer boundaries stretching south to Lake Erie and north to Georgian Bay....
" is a densely populated and industrialized

Industrialisation

Industrialization is the process of social and economic change whereby a human group is transformed from a pre-industrial society into an industry one....
region centred around the west end of Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by the U.S....
in Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario

Southern Ontario is the portion of the Canada province of Ontario lying south of the French River and Algonquin Park. It is the southernmost region of Canada....
, Canada

Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
. Most of it is also part of the Windsor-Quebec City corridor

Quebec City-Windsor Corridor

The Quebec City ? Windsor Corridor is the most densely-populated and heavily-industrialised region of Canada. With over 17 million people , it contained 56.8% of the Canadian population and three of the four List of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in Canada in the country in 2001....
. With a population of 8.1 million people, it makes up slightly over a quarter (25.6%) of the population of Canada and contains approximately 75% of Ontario's population, making it one of the largest population concentrations in North America. Although it is a geographically named sub-region of Southern Ontario, "Greater Golden Horseshoe" is more frequently used today to describe the metropolitan regions that stretch across the area in totality.

Twin Cities

Twin cities

Twin cities are a special case of two city or urban centres which are founded in close geography proximity and then grow into each other over time....
in Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States of the United States. The twelfth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with just over five million residents....
are composed of Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County, Minnesota. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, Minnesota, the state's Capital ....
and Saint Paul

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the state capital and second most populated city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies on the north bank of the Mississippi River, downstream of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, Minnesota, the state's List of cities in Minnesota....
. This conurbation houses over 3.5 million inhabitants.

Conurbation

Examples of Conurbations

Randstad, The Netherlands

United Kingdom

Golden Horseshoe, Ontario, Canada

Twin Cities

See also

Further reading