conurbation

views updated May 14 2018

conurbation A term coined by Patrick Geddes in 1915 to describe large-scale city regions such as Greater London, New York/Boston, or the Ruhr. It is not a statistically based concept, but normally refers to one city or a conglomerate of very large cities surrounded by extensive suburbs, which form a continuous urban and industrial built-up environment. In most cases, transportation systems develop to link all districts within the conurbation, so as to create a single urban labour-market or travel-to-work area. Alternative terms are urban agglomeration and, in the United States, metropolitan area.

conurbation

views updated May 17 2018

con·ur·ba·tion / ˌkänərˈbāshən/ • n. an extended urban area, typically consisting of several towns merging with the suburbs of one or more cities.

conurbation

views updated May 14 2018

conurbation XX. f. CON- + L. urbs, urb- city (cf. URBAN) + -ATION.

conurbation

views updated May 18 2018

conurbation. Term coined by Geddes c.1915 for an aggregate of towns linked up to form one built-up area, e.g. the Potteries district of Staffs., or Greater London.