Functional urban area
Measure of metropolitan and surrounding areas / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The functional urban area (FUA), previously known as larger 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 the metropolitan 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]