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 , an "unité urbaine" is a
commune alone or a grouping of communes which must: 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 as rural.
The French ''unité urbaine'' is a statistical area in accordance with
United Nations recommendations for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. Other international versions of this unit are the
United States "
Urbanized Area" and the
United Kingdom and
Canada's "urban area," yet definitions vary from country to country.
See also
★
urban area
★
aire urbaine a related concept
References
# INSEE. Nomeclatures, Définitions, Méthodes.
"Unité Urbaine: définition.". Retrieved December 9, 2005.