In France an unité urbaine (literally: "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 ^[1], 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 metres, and b) have altogether 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 recommendations for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. Other comparable units in other countries are the United States "Urbanized Area" and the "urban area" definition shared by the United Kingdom and Canada.

See also

• urban area
• aire urbaine a related concept

References

1. ^  INSEE. Nomeclatures, Définitions, Méthodes. "Unité Urbaine: définition.". Retrieved December 9, 2005.

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