ABSTRACT
In France, 75.4 per cent of the population lived in urban areas in 1999 2 (last national census) which means a relative stability since the previous 1990 census and only a 5 per cent increase since 1968. In 1999, according to the new statistical definition (see box below), there were 354 ‘urban areas’ (aires urbaines) ranging from 12,000 to about 11 million inhabitants. Urban Areas, Urban Poles, Suburban Rings and Urban Units
In 1997, the National Institute of Statistics (INSEE) established new statistical units to better measure the evolution of French cities. Four new concepts were created: urban area (aire urbaine), urban pole (pole urbain), suburban ring (couronne péri-urbaine) and urban unit (unité urbaine).
An urban unit is a community of 2,000 living units or more based on urban continuity (no more than 200m between buildings). An urban pole is an urban unit which groups 5,000 jobs or more. Municipalities sending 40 per cent or more of their work force to the urban pole compose the suburban ring. An urban area is the combination of an urban pole and a suburban ring.
